Lost in Time
by Whovianeverlark17
Summary: Lyssa Devons was trying to run away. But a freak lightning storm sent her to another destination entirely - the TARDIS. Now she's being tossed around the Doctor's timeline, where everyone seems to know who she is. The trouble is, that she doesn't. What's worse is that something's following her - something that can transcend time and space. And only the Doctor can help.
1. Chapter 1 - Goodbye Forever

Lyssa Devons sighed as she settled into her seat in the airplane. Impatiently shoving her dark brown bangs out of her face, she buckled the seat-belt and prepared for a very long trip to England. Leaning back against the headrest, she closed her brown eyes wearily, only to open them again as her smartphone buzzed in her purse. Unzipping the bag, she glanced at the screen and rolled her eyes. Her mother was calling her. Again.

She hesitated for a minute, contemplating just tossing it back in her bag, but decided to answer one more time before saying goodbye for good. She swiped her finger across the answer icon, and held the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" she answered reluctantly.

The answering screech made her wince. "Alyssa Mae Devons, where are you? I just checked my bank account and found that over ten thousand dollars have been withdrawn! What did you do?"

Lyssa forced herself to keep her voice calm. "The ten thousand dollars were mine, Mom. The only reason it was in there in the first place was because you refused to let me open another bank account, and I know that you've been taking money out of it. You can keep the rest. I won't need it anymore."

"You ungrateful child!" her mother fumed. "After everything I gave up for you, and you try to rob me like this? Where are you?"

Lyssa looked around. "Looks like a plane to me. So don't worry. You won't have to be bothered about 'sacrificing' yourself for me anymore. Not that you ever did in the first place, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to adjust."

"A plane?" her mother screeched. "And just where do you think you're going?"

Lyssa snorted. "As if you actually care. If you must know, I'm leaving. For good. I'm moving to England to stay with some friends for a while. I've got everything I need, and you can take the rest of my stuff and sell it like you always threatened to do anyways. I'm twenty years old, so it's perfectly legal for me to do this. And if you really cared that much about me going, you would have noticed me preparing for this a long time ago. So go sell my stuff and party all night like you always do. I don't care anymore."

Her mother's voice changed to a sickly-sweet voice. "Now, Alyssa, you know that I've only ever tried my hardest to raise you all by myself after your father died. I know I made a few mistakes along the way, but surely none bad enough to warrant this kind of a reaction. Now why don't you get off that plane, and come home, and we can work this out."

Lyssa just shook her head. "We've tried that before, Mom. Remember? It lasted for about two weeks before you went out partying every night again, then spending the mornings yelling at me for not doing what you had never told me to do. I've tried to make it work, but it's clear that you're not going to change. So thanks for raising me, but it's time for me to move on."

"Alyssa," her mother started, before Lyssa cut her off.

"It's Lyssa, Mom. You know that I don't like being called 'Alyssa.' I've never liked it. You can't respect my boundaries, you can't even respect my request to be called 'Lyssa.'" She looked up. "Sorry, Mom. Looks like the flight attendant's about to start the safety spiel, and I'll need to put my phone away for that. I'll try and send you a note sometime from England. Bye." Ignoring the loud tirade that started to stream from the phone, she hung up and instantly set her phone to airplane mode so that she couldn't receive any more calls from her mother.

Tucking her phone back into her purse, she sighed and would have gotten a drink from her water bottle, but just then the person who was due to sit next to her finally arrived and sat down, squishing her into her seat and off the armrest. She looked at the man next to her angrily. He just shrugged, making the fat rolls on his arm jiggle.

She rolled her eyes and curled up by the wall, glad that she at least got a window seat. Forcing herself to pay attention to the safety talk by the attendant, she watched with gratitude as the plane finally took off from the runway and began the roughly eight hour flight to England. Pulling out her earphones and phone, she pulled up an episode of Doctor Who and began to watch, glad that she had downloaded several of the seasons onto her phone before she had left.

xXx

Four hours later, she had watched six episodes, and was getting rather tired of sitting still for so long.

She shifted in her seat, trying not to bother the man next to her, who was staring at a newspaper trying to figure out the crossword puzzle. She sighed and looked out the window, before doing a double take. It was nearly noon, so the stewardesses would be bringing lunch by soon, but outside it was nearly black. And she could have sworn it was sunny just an hour or two ago.

A ding at the front of the plane caught her attention. Glancing up, she saw that the "'fasten seat-belt' light was on. She was in the middle of tightening her seat-belt when one of the stewardesses spoke on the intercom.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to be encountering some unexpected turbulence ahead due to an unforeseen storm. Please fasten your seat-belts and all loose items. Thank you._ " Lyssa frowned, worried. She had checked the weather before she left, and it said nothing about a storm anywhere along her flight path. Making sure her seat-belt was fastened securely, she put her phone and earphones into her bag, then tucked them underneath her seat.

And not a moment too soon, as they apparently encountered the edge of the storm just then. It started out gentle enough, just a minor shaking of the plane. It didn't stay that way, though. It quickly got worse, and the plane was soon filled with the clatter of items falling onto the floor as people failed to put some of their loose items away.

Beside her, the large man seemed to be growing nervous. "Why are we dealing with turbulence?" he blustered. "Planes are supposed to go around thunderstorms, not through them!" As his question did not appear to be directed at anyone, she ignored him and looked out the window. Unfortunately, his statement seemed to be true, as she saw a flash of lightning nearby, followed by another. The stewardess got on the intercom again.

" _Ladies and gentlemen, please do not be alarmed. While we have encountered a thunderstorm, our pilots are working on flying us out and around the storm this very moment. The airplane is perfectly safe, and has been designed to fly safely through storms just such as this one. Please remain calm._ "

"Calm," the man next to her muttered. "Calm, when we could go down at any minute?"

Lyssa rolled her eyes. She would get stuck next to a hysterical person. Another flash of lightning, followed by a booming sound as the plane shook again made several passengers scream.

"Oh my gosh, we've been hit by lightning!" the man shouted.

The stewardess came on the intercom again, sounding a bit frazzled. " _Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm_ ," she implored them. " _The airplane is perfectly safe, and has sustained no damage from the storm. However, we are going to be facing more extreme turbulence before we can escape the storm cell, so please remain in your seats._ " Another flash of lightning followed by some more violent shaking seemed to punctuate her statement.

Lyssa drew in a breath, and blew it out of her nose, forcing herself to remain calm, reminding herself that the plane was most likely going to be fine. Hundreds of airplanes navigate safely through thunderstorms every year, she reminded herself, trying to ignore the way her neighbor was gripping the armrests so tight his knuckles were white, and the way he tightened his grip every time the plane shook, which was growing more and more frequent.

Outside the window, the lightning strikes were flashing more often, and the turbulence was getting rougher. When a particularly close lightning strike was followed by a shaking, and a sudden, severe dip of the plane, her heart started racing, and she couldn't help but grip her armrest as tight as the man next to her.

When another flash of lightning was followed by a loud bang, and the oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, she stared at it in shock. Quickly gathering her wits, she placed it around her mouth and strapped it on, breathing in the supplied oxygen.

Noticing the man next to her was having some trouble, and seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating, she quickly helped him fasten it around his head. He nodded at her in gratitude, but she wasn't looking at him any longer. Looking around to make sure that everyone else around her had their masks on, she tried to keep her breathing even.

The stewardess came on again. "Ladies and gentlemen, please put the masks on, as we have experienced a loss in cabin pressure, and are going to be forced to make an emergency landing on an island below. Please assume the brace position, and put your hands over your heads."

Lyssa gasped in fright, bending over and placing her hands above her head, noticing that the plane was now sharply angled downwards, and she could see lightning still striking furiously through the window. Thunder was near constantly booming, but she forced herself to close her eyes.

The landing, when it came, was less jarring than she had expected, although she winced when something heavy landed on her hands, and she could feel some of her bones cracking in her left hand. After a minute of sliding and screams from some of her fellow passengers, the plane gradually came to a standstill.

Cautiously moving her hands, she slowly sat up and looked around her. The plane was a mess, but most of the people seemed to be all right.

Removing her mask, she called out, "All right, people, we need to get off the plane, NOW!" As the people by the emergency exit doors began to open them and quickly file off the plane, she hurriedly unbuckled herself and urged the man next to her to do the same. Once free, he started to grab his carry-on bag from above. "No!" she snapped. "We don't have much time, and you're blocking people's exits. You can get it later!" He reluctantly agreed and started heading down the aisle towards the door.

Hurrying down the steps, she saw all the passengers were heading in a rush towards what seemed to be a cave a short distance from the rocky beach the plane had landed on, trying to outrun the lightning which was still striking furiously. Standing by the exit, she ushered people towards the cave.

"Keep going towards the cave!" she yelled. She noticed one old man trying to help his apparently injured wife down the steps. Hurrying up, she placed the elderly woman's other arm around her shoulders and helped them down. They tried to thank her, but she shook her head and pointed towards the cave. "Get into the cave!" she shouted over the thunder and raging winds. She glanced back to see the crew slowly come out of the plane.

She tried to see if they needed help, but the pilot, at the front of the group, shook his head. "Everyone's on their way out. Get to the cave!" he shouted, trying to make himself heard.

She nodded, and took off for the cave, the wind blowing her ponytail every which way. She was almost to the cave when she saw it coming. A few of the others saw it too, and stopped in horror. She barely had time to instinctively raise her hands above her head to try and futilely protect herself when the lightning struck her, the light searing her retinas and making her hair stand on end.

She was instantly sent tumbling, over and over, in every direction conceivable. When she finally stopped whirling and managed to open her eyes, wondering that she was even still alive, she froze in horror at the sight before her. She was not lying on the rocks of some island in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by her fellow survivors and a plane.

Instead, she was slowly spinning around in what seemed to be space, with galaxies and nebulae and stars flowing past her. And all around her was a golden vortex that seemed to go on forever. Frightened, she gasped, only to stop as she realized that she was breathing.

Cautiously she drew another one, then another. "Okay," she said in a shaky voice. "I'm breathing. In space. I'm hallucinating. I need to wake up now, please."

She looked around her, but found no one, saw no end to the vortex and galaxies spinning by. She clutched her hands to her head, only to instinctively jerk her hand back when she felt a sharp pain in her left hand. Clutching her wrist, she remembered how something had fallen on her hand during the crash landing. Whatever it was must have broken one or more of her bones, or bruised her enough that it felt like it was broken.

Gritting her teeth, she tried to think of some way to deal with it. Glancing down, she saw her pink scarf fluttering around her neck in the winds and gently brushing against her jean jacket. Carefully undoing the knot with her uninjured hand, she slowly pulled it off her neck, and began to painstakingly wrap it around her hand and fingers in an attempt to keep them from moving, as now that she was aware of the pain it was starting to increase. Once she was done, she managed to tie it into a rough knot that would hopefully hold. Finished with that, she looked around at her surroundings again, only to find that nothing had really changed.

Closing her eyes, she chanted, "It's a hallucination, I'm dreaming, this is all just a dream. I got struck by lightning, and now I'm in a coma, and dreaming that I'm in space. It's just a dream, it's just a dream." Curling into a ball, she placed her hands over her head and tried to block out the impossible sights that were happening right in front of her. "It's just a dream," she pleaded, her voice breaking on the last word.

xXx

She'd been curled up in this position for several hours, when she felt something change. The spinning seemed to stop, and she felt something stable form beneath and behind her, leaving her curled up on some sort of platform. She heard the wind start to fade, but only shrunk tighter into her ball and clutched her broken hand to her chest, and wrapped her other hand protectively around her head, refusing to open her eyes.

She sat like this for a few minutes, trying to even out her shaky breathing, when she heard footsteps approaching. Eyes jerking open, she cautiously peered out from behind her arm. She heard the footsteps come closer, and jerked back, only to stop when she realized that there was something blocking her escape route. Glancing behind her, she saw that she was leaning against a sort of glass pillar that was covered in wires, and there was junk all around her.

"It's not here!" a male voice called in a British accent from somewhere above her, making her cringe and try to shrink into the pillar.

"Well, then, look below the console. It's got to be there somewhere!" another British voice called back. A loud sigh followed by descending, clattering footsteps made her panic as she realized that they were coming towards her.

Shrinking into the pillar as much as she could, she tried to make herself small and invisible, wrapping her arm even tighter around her head. The footsteps came closer, then stopped.

"Lyssa! Are you all right?"

She froze. That voice - it couldn't be. Slowly uncurling her arm, she looked up and confirmed her fear. There, standing in front of her, looking very concerned, was Rory Williams, one of the characters from the show she had watched earlier that day, complete with plaid shirt.

"No, no, no, no, no," she mumbled in growing hysteria, trying to back away from him.

He crouched down in front of her slowly, one hand out towards her, the other on his chest. "Lyssa, it's me. Rory. Rory Williams? You remember me, don't you?"

She shook her head slowly, eyes darting all over the place, searching for any sign of possible threats. "Who are you, really?"

He looked confused. "I'm Rory Williams. Amy's husband. We travel with you and the Doctor." He paused and tried to come closer.

Lyssa instantly panicked, and tried to scramble away. "No, stay back!" she pleaded, trying to use her hands to scoot backwards and around the pillar, only to put weight on her injured hand and cry out.

He instantly froze, both hands up in the air. "No, no, it's all right. I'll stay here, I promise. Just, don't freak out. Okay?" He waited for her to slowly nod, and her breathing to calm before continuing. "Do you really not know who I am?" he asked.

She ran her eyes up and down his body. "I know who you are, but I also know that it's not possible," she said shakily, clutching her injured hand to her chest again.

Rory nodded slowly, keeping his voice calm and steady. "Okay. Um, well, then let's just say that I have one of those faces, all right? I get mistaken for people a lot. But I promise that I'm real, and that I'm a nurse. I know that your hand hurts. Can I see it? Maybe I can help."

Lyssa eyed him warily. He maintained his open demeanor, and held out his hand, palm up. After a minute of tension, she decided that things couldn't get much worse than they were now, and held out her hand for him to examine. He carefully placed his hand under it, then gently untied and removed the scarf. He was just about to examine it when a voice rang out from above them, startling them both.

"Rory! What's taking so long? You should've gotten it by now, it's not that hard to find!" The voice was accompanied by footsteps striding into the room above them. Lyssa instantly retracted her hand, and jerked back into the pillar.

Rory threw up his hands again. "No! Don't worry! It's just the Doctor!" Raising his voice, he called, "Doctor, I'm down here. And you might want to see... this."

"See what? Rory, who are you talking to?" the man's voice called back, coming down the stairs. "And you might want to hurry, Amy's getting very..." he cut himself off as he rounded the pillar and saw them sitting there. "Impatient," he finished weakly. "Lyssa?"

Lyssa froze, staring at the impersonation of the Eleventh Doctor. He started to rush towards her, only to stop when she flinched back from him.

Rory held up a hand. "Doctor, I don't think she knows who we are."

"Yes, she does," the Doctor clone tried to argue. "She always knows who we are." He paused, apparently seeing the look of shock on her face. "Don't you?" he asked uncertainly.

"What am I doing here?" Lyssa asked shakily. "How did I get here? What is this place?"

The Doctor's face fell. "Lyssa. Please tell me you know who I am."

She frowned, trying to keep the hysterical edge out of her voice. "Why do people keep asking that? First him, and now you. What's going on? And how do you know my name?" she demanded.

The Doctor swallowed hard and sat down carefully next to Rory. "Lyssa," he said softly. "What I'm about to tell you is going to be very hard to hear, and believe me, I am so, so sorry about this. But I'm the Doctor, and this is Rory Williams, and his wife, Amelia Pond, is upstairs. You're in my TARDIS, and everything you know about me is real."

She shook her head disbelievingly. "Not possible. I'm still dreaming after that blow to the head. It's not real, you're not real, and I'm not in the TARDIS."

The Doctor sighed. "You warned me it'd take a while for you to accept it," he muttered, before continuing in a louder voice. "All right, then. Would you believe you were in the TARDIS if I proved it to you?"

Lyssa swallowed before answering. "Sure. But it won't matter, because I'm dreaming all of this anyways."

The Doctor sighed again, but held out his hand for her to take. She eyed him warily for a minute before placing her uninjured hand in his. He gently helped her up, then started leading her towards the stairs, Rory following close behind with a worried expression on his face. Lyssa slowly followed him up the stairs, noting how her brain had included the shiny metal parts for the walls, before reaching the top of the stairs and coming to a halt as she realized that she was staring at the console room of the TARDIS.

"No way," she breathed, turning around and taking it all in.

The Doctor smiled proudly. "Lyssa Devons, welcome to the TARDIS," he declared, throwing his arms out wide.

Limping up to the console, Lyssa reached out a hand to touch the center, only to jerk it back when it started to glow golden, and her hand did the same. The Doctor was going on about something in the console room, so she quietly made her way over to the doors, hoping to be able to make it out of there before they could catch her. She was about a foot away when Rory realized what she was doing.

"Lyssa, no!" he called, running towards her. But he was too late. Jumping towards the doors, Lyssa pulled one open and darted out, only to be jerked back a moment later, and just in time, before she fell out into the same empty vastness of space that she had seen earlier.

"Ho-how?" she stammered weakly, staring out at a spiral galaxy in front of them. Tugging her fully back into the TARDIS, the Doctor pulled her into his arms and shut the door, with Lyssa too shocked to resist.

"You're in the TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. What you just saw was space. We're floating in space right now," the Doctor said gently.

"Right," she said shakily. "Um, if you don't mind, I think I'm gonna take a time-out right now." Giving into the stress and shock of the day, she let go of her consciousness and went limp in the Doctor's arms.

xXx

Lyssa slowly swam back to reality. She carefully moved her hands across the sheets covering her body, and felt something heavy encasing her left hand. Struggling to open her eyes, she felt someone take her hand, and a comforting warmth slowly spread from the point of contact. She managed to open her eyes at last, but had to immediately shut them after the lights overhead nearly blinded her. They were immediately dimmed, and she muttered, "Thanks," out of habit. Managing to keep her eyes open this time, she looked over and saw the Doctor holding her hand. Her hand with a cast on it.

"Why, why is there a cast on my hand?" she asked groggily, confused.

He looked down at her hand. "Oh! Right! Um, well, you had three broken bones in your hand. I used a bone knitter on them, but it will still need to set for a few days before it can completely heal, and then we can take the cast off, but then -"

"Doctor," Lyssa interrupted him. He shut up immediately. "Is, is this all real? Am I really in the TARDIS? I'm not dreaming?"

Instead of responding, the Doctor reached over and pinched her arm. "Ow!" she cried, rubbing the sore spot. "What was that for?"

"Did that feel real?" he asked her simply.

"Yes!" She scowled, still rubbing her arm.

He smiled. "Then I'd say that that means that you're awake. Also, scans show that, your hand aside, you're as fit as a fiddle. So, I could give you a tour of the TARDIS, if you like?" he offered.

Lyssa studied him for a minute. "Sure. I think I'd like to see if the TARDIS really is bigger on the inside."

He grinned and offered her his hand. "Lyssa Mae Devons, you have no idea."

* * *

 **A/N: So this will be my first Doctor Who story ever, but I'm excited to see where it goes. Updates should come every Sunday, usually later in the day as I'm an awful procrastinator. :P**

 **Feel free to offer _constructive_ criticism, I know I'm not the best writer in the world. :/ Encouraging reviews are always welcome! :)  
**

 **I'll be working with 9-12 for the most part, as well as a few 8th/War Doctor shots, but I will only be writing through the Season 9 Christmas Special. Any and everything written after that will all be written by me, and anything in BBC season 10 and after will not be included, nor considered canon in this story.**

 **Inspired** **by 'Jumping Through Time' by** **AnaDona  
**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, but Lyssa is all mine.**


	2. Chapter 2 - A Tour de TARDIS

She smiled hesitantly and took his hand, letting him help her out of the bed. It was only when she stood up that she realized that she was no longer in her jeans and jacket, but instead a white hospital gown that thankfully was fully connected at the back.

"Um, Doctor? Where are my clothes?"

He blushed. "Oh. Those. Right. I had Amy change you, so that we could give you an examination and see what was wrong. They're right over there, on that shelf," he said, pointing.

She grabbed them quickly. "Thanks. Now, is there a place where I can change, or...?"

He nodded eagerly. "Of course. I'll just step right outside, and you can change in here. Just let me know when you're done." He hurriedly stepped outside the room, the doors swishing shut after him in a way that made Lyssa think off Star Trek.

She quickly changed, only struggling a little bit with her new cast, then stepped up to the door. "Doctor?" she called. "I'm ready!"

The doors swished open right away,indicating he had most likely been waiting right outside. "Right then. Now, I dropped Rory and Amy off for a visit back home, thought it might be easier on you if there were less people around. Might make it less overwhelming. Also, where do you want to start?" he rambled. "You've already seen the console room, but you were a bit out of it the last time you were there, fainted dead away. Do you know, that's the first time I've seen someone faint upon seeing the console room?"

"Doctor," Lyssa interrupted him with a smile. "How about you start by showing me this room, and then we can work our way around from there."

He stopped and spun around. "Right! The Infirmary!" Snapping his fingers, he indicated the sterile room around her. "There's an invisible force field over that bed that can be activated if need be. It suspends the patient in midair if they've got problems with their back, and thus can't actually lay down on the bed. You didn't need that, so it's not actually activated at the moment. There's also medical equipment from approximately thirty of the most medically advanced cultures in here, and I can get more if need be." Leading the way out of the white room, they entered a larger white room, with two more beds in it, more equipment, and several medical tables.

"This is the main laboratory for the Infirmary, then out there's the main hallway," he said, gesturing with his head. Following him through the second door, Lyssa looked in wonder at the hallways around her, looking exactly like the BBC series had shown it back home. "Right then. So where do you want to go first? The console room? The swimming pool? The library?"

Lyssa thought for a minute. "Well, I've already seen the console room, but I've always wanted to see the swimming pool."

The Doctor grinned. "The swimming pool it is, then! Let's go!" Taking a left down the corridor, he began a dizzying series of twists and turns that soon left Lyssa feeling absolutely lost. "Don't worry if you can't get it straight right away," he reassured her. "And most of the time, she'll direct you right to it. She likes you."

"She?" Lyssa questioned, feeling confused.

"The TARDIS," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. "Now, let's see... third door from the left, aha!" he shouted, making Lyssa jump. Heading through an open doorway, she stopped and stared in awe. There were multiple different pools in the room, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a hot tub, and a pool with multiple different slides, diving boards, and games. There was even a sandy area with a volleyball net off to the side. She looked around the room with wide eyes, taking it all in. "I thought you might like it," the Doctor said smugly. "This was always one of your favorite rooms. Well, this and the library," he added as an afterthought.

Lyssa furrowed her brow. "Hang on. This always _was_ one of my favorite rooms? How would you know that? I've never been here before. And, in the Infirmary, you knew my name, without me ever telling you. How did you know that?"

The Doctor's face became serious. Sighing, he said, "Because I _do_ know you, you just don't know me yet."

Lyssa paused, trying to take that in. "Yeah, could you explain that to me again?" she asked. "Because that made absolutely no sense."

The Doctor licked his lips. "Well, you know my future, right? My future, and my past."

Lyssa shrugged, eyeing him uncertainly. "I guess. And you know this, how?"

"Because you told me," he told her. "And the reason I know you; well, do you know how my and River Song's relationship works?"

She nodded. "You keep meeting each other in the wrong order, cause you're both time travelers." Her eyes widened. "Is that what it's like for us? It's backwards?"

He shook his head. "Yes. No. Well, sort of. If it helps, yes. But it's really nothing like that. I can't fully explain it, but you travel through along a timeline. Mine specifically, and you keep meeting me at random points in my life. So sometimes you know me more than you do at other points. Like the last time I saw you, for instance, you were older, and had traveled with me for several years."

"Years?" Lyssa exclaimed. "But, but then, what about my home? Do I ever go home?"

The Doctor shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry Lyssa. But from what I know, you can never go home."

She blinked, trying to take it all in. "I wanted to get away from my mom, but... I didn't think I'd get this far."

The Doctor looked at her with sympathy. "You got struck by lightning, right? And then you ended up in space?"

"And then I ended up here," Lyssa finished with a nod, wondering where he was going with this.

"It wasn't a normal storm that occurred," he told her. "It was a time storm. And what hit you was literally a piece of the Time Vortex. It struck you, and pulled you in, rewriting your biology to enable you to survive the Vortex. You now literally have time flowing through you, and I'm sorry, but it's my timeline that struck you, which is why you're tied to me. You fly through time, but keep getting tugged back to my timeline."

She nodded. "Okay. Um, I- I know that this might sound weird, but can I just - " she gestured with her hand towards his chest. "It'll kind of help prove it, you know?" He just smiled. Carefully taking her free hand, sending warmth shooting up her arm, he held it onto the left side of his chest, letting her feel his heartbeat, before gently moving it over to the other side, where she could clearly feel a second heart beating.

"Oh my goodness!" she breathed, hardly able to believe it. Looking up at him smiling down on her, she laughed giddily. "Two heartbeats. I don't believe it. I'm really on the TARDIS! And you're really here!"

He laughed, placing both hands on the side of her head and giving her a kiss on the forehead, making her blush and sending warmth through her once again. "Oh, Lyssa. The adventure's just beginning," he said excitedly. "And wait till you see the library! You've spent hours in there before I found you!" Grabbing her hand, he tugged her back into the hallway and down another set of twists and turns. But his grabbing her hand had set yet another surge of warmth down her arm, and this time, she wasn't quickly distracted from it.

"Doctor?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he responded, still focused on the hallways passing them by.

"How come I, uh, feel warm whenever we touch?" she asked awkwardly. He blushed, stopping them outside another doorway.

"It's kind of complicated, but I'll try to give you the quick explanation. Basically, you have time flowing through you. Time Lords also have time in them, written into their DNA. And because you have my timeline in you, whenever we touch, the time, er, well, flows to the point of contact, so-to-speak, in an effort to reach the other piece of time, sending warmth through both of us as a result of the energy flow. It doesn't happen very often, but increases in times of heightened emotion. It also sometimes makes you glow when you're in close contact with the Time Vortex, just to give you a heads up," he warned her. He paused, his eyes growing sad. "The reason it's happening so much right now is because... you're still very scared."

She nodded slowly, trying to absorb it all, and filing his last comment away to think about later, not really wanting to acknowledge the truth of it right now. "Right then. I'll try to keep that in mind. Um, you were saying something about the library?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

His eyes widened. "Right! The library! That's right through this doorway, actually," he said, gesturing. "But I want it to be a surprise, first, so... if I may?" he asked, gesturing to her eyes.

Lyssa smiled, closing her eyes. "Why not?" she asked, expecting him to lead her into the room. She was surprised when he instead settled his hand over her eyes, making her feel the now familiar warmth, and gently pushed her forward with the other. Walking slowly into the room, she felt him remove his hand, and opened her eyes.

Books were the first thing that greeted her. Rows upon rows of books. There were balconies, with ladders, leading to even more books. And over to the left were a few chairs and a couch, with a few small tables beside them, in front of a merry fireplace. And over to the right were bookcases with vials sitting on top of them.

"What are those?" she asked curiously.

The Doctor sighed. "Those are visual books. From Gallifrey. Uncorking the vials enables you to actually see and hear what is going on in the story."

"That sounds kind of interesting," Lyssa admitted. "But I think I'd prefer an actual book most of the time."

The Doctor smiled. "I thought you might say that. Do you want to grab some before I show you your room?"

"I have a room?" Lyssa asked, surprised.

"Of course you have a room!" He exclaimed. "All my companions have rooms. And the more the TARDIS likes you, the better they are. Yours is one of the best," he said proudly. "I always knew she had good taste."

Lyssa blushed. "So, um. How do I find what books I want?"

The Doctor waved a hand towards a bookshelf close to them. "The TARDIS usually keeps your favorite books close to the entrance. Otherwise, there is an organized system, and you often just browse through the entire library, just looking."

Lyssa laughed. "That sounds like me. But I think I'll just grab some books off this shelf for now." Strolling over to the shelf, her eyes immediately widened as she grabbed a book from the third shelf up. "This book wasn't even out yet back home!" she exclaimed. "I've been waiting ages for it to come out!" Grabbing three more books from the shelf, she declared, "I think I know why I spend a lot of time in here."

The Doctor laughed. Looking over the books she had, he nodded knowingly. "I thought you might like those. You re-read them endlessly."

"And why wouldn't I?" she asked, following him out of the library and down another hallway. "These are my absolute favorite things ever."

The Doctor only shook his head, chuckling. "You say that now. Just wait until you find the Silmarillion series. You watch those for hours."

Lyssa stopped dead in her tracks. "There's a TV series for The Silmarillion?"

"Whoops!" the Doctor muttered, checking his watch. "Not yet. What's that word you always like to say? Spoilers! You'll find out later. Now, onto your room!" Quickening his pace, he set down the hallway, followed by a running Lyssa.

"Doctor? Hold on! A Silmarillion series? I'm not waiting for that!" She slowed to a stop outside a room with a shut door. "What's this?" she asked curiously. The Doctor smiled, tilting his head towards the name written on it. An elegant white door with a golden doorknob, with green vines and purple flowers tracing up towards a nameplate that had the name 'Lyssa' written on it in elegant font. "This is my room?" She asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Why don't you take the first look?" he invited. Setting down her books, she opened the door with her good hand and stepped into the room. After a minute of no response, the Doctor poked his head into it. "Well? What do you think?"

Lyssa laughed shakily, pressing a hand to her mouth. "I think that I've never had a bedroom as amazing as this before. I mean, just look at it!" She indicated the room with a wave of her hand.

The walls were a light, creamy orange color, with a white border along the walls. The bed was a huge queen bed with white comforters and pillows, and a four post canopy set up on top of it with lacy curtains. There was a walk-in closet along one wall, and a bathroom that included a large shower and tub along another. A comfy chair perfect for reading in sat by a fake window, and a large bookcase just waiting to be filled completed the look.

"It's connected to your timeline," the Doctor told her. "So the TARDIS will filter out any bits you put in that might be spoilers for you each time you come. But if you put something down, it will be there the next time you see your room, no matter which version of me you're with. So. Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Lyssa asked disbelievingly. "I love it! I've never had a room as big or nice as this, and I've always wanted a canopy over my bed. Thank you, Doctor!" Spinning around she hugged him gratefully.

He seemed startled for a minute before hugging her back awkwardly. "You're welcome, Lyssa."

She startled, realizing what she had done. "Oh, sorry." She stepped back, face flushed.

"Don't worry," he said with a smile. "I've always wondered when I would get to show you your room and see the look of shock on your face."

"I was definitely shocked," Lyssa admitted. "Mom never let me have a big room before, and I've definitely never had stuff as nice as this without paying for it myself."

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, frowning.

Lyssa shrugged, running her fingers along the comforter and enjoying the feel of it. "Mom never really cared enough to get me anything besides a small bed, and a desk and chair for school, so anything I wanted I had to buy myself. If she would let me, that is. Most of it was considered 'wasteful,' so I could only get small things like the occasional book."

The Doctor's face hardened. "I was aware that your mother didn't like you, but I didn't know that it was this bad."

Lyssa shook her head dismissively. "It wasn't like really bad, or anything. She was never abusive. She didn't care enough for that." She laughed bitterly. "Hatred requires emotion. She never really showed emotion unless she thought it would get her something, or she was angry that she didn't get her way. And after twenty years, I'd had enough. So I grabbed the few things that I actually wanted to keep, and took off in a plane for England. I had some friends there. They'll probably be... wondering... where I am," she trailed off.

The Doctor watched her with sympathy. Quickly becoming aware of her surroundings, she shook it off and said firmly, "And anyways, that's when the storm came up, then I ended up here." She looked up at the Doctor. Being 5'3" meant she didn't even reach his chin, but she was used to being short, unfortunately. "Also, not to change the subject, or anything, but um... do you have anything I could eat? I don't think I've eaten for a while."

The Doctor's face brightened. "Of course! The kitchen is right down this hallway. The TARDIS probably moved it so it'd be closer to your bedroom. Come on!" Darting out of the room, he came back a minute later when he realized that she wasn't following him.

Raising her eyebrow at him impishly, she asked, "Would you mind waiting until I put my books away?"

"Right. Sure. No problem," he said immediately, rubbing the back of his neck. Smiling to herself, Lyssa hurriedly grabbed her books off the floor outside her room, and placed them in a neat row on a shelf in the bookcase, taking a moment to admire them before walking over to an impatient Doctor.

"All right. Now we can go," she said, laughing at the way he was fidgeting.

"Right! Come on!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hand and darting out of the room, as if to ensure that there were no more delays. Running down the hallway for about a block, he stopped and led her inside a large kitchen with a small, round table near the wall with a couple chairs around it. "Now, what would you like?" he asked excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

Lyssa looked around the room, before picking the first food that came to mind. "Um... do you have some ice cream?"

The Doctor chuckled. "I rather thought you might say that." Popping open the freezer, he pulled out a carton of strawberry ice cream and offered it to her with a spoon.

"I get to eat the whole thing?" she asked with wide eyes.

He shrugged. "Why not? You're the only one who eats it. Rory doesn't eat much ice cream, and Amy prefers some sort of chocolate ripple flavor." Opening the carton and digging out a spoonful, Lyssa tried a taste.

Her eyes widened. "It's really good. But what about you?" she asked, digging out another spoonful.

Pulling another box out of the freezer, the Doctor grinned at her. "Can't you guess?"

"Oh." She rolled her eyes as the Doctor began heating up the contents of the box. "Fish fingers and custard, am I right?"

Spinning around and pointing at her, the Doctor said, "You are exactly right." Turning around to finish the food, he quickly mixed together a packet of custard.

When he was done, he set it down on the table and sat across from Lyssa. Looking at the food curiously, Lyssa asked, "Can I try some? I've never had any before."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Sure. You've never wanted them before, but there's plenty for the both of us."

Eyeing him skeptically, Lyssa grabbed a fish finger and dipped it in the custard before taking a cautious bite out of it. She started gagging almost immediately, dropping the unbitten part on the table, and forcing herself to swallow the small bite in her mouth. Immediately taking a spoonful of ice cream to try and cover up the taste, she shuddered and stuck out her tongue.

"That is some of the most nasty stuff I have ever tasted," she declared.

The Doctor looked offended. "No, it's not! You just... have weak taste buds," he said, taking a bite out of his own fish finger, thickly covered in custard.

Lyssa felt sick just watching him. "Maybe. Or maybe you just have alien taste buds. I mean, really? Fish fingers and custard? Do you know what that would be in America? Fish sticks and pudding. N. A. S. T. Y." she spelled out, taking another bite of her ice cream.

The Doctor pointed a fish finger at her. "You're just jealous you can't enjoy it," he said, taking another bite.

Lyssa paused for a moment. "Yeah, I think you're right," she admitted. "I mean, I've been sucked out of my world and into the TARDIS, I'm sitting across from what I thought was a fictional character, and I can't even eat the fish fingers and custard! I'm such a bad Whovian."

"Whovian?" the Doctor repeated, pausing in his chewing.

"Oh, um. That's, that's the word we call people who enjoy the show back home," Lyssa stammered.

"Show?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"You don't know?" Lyssa asked. "But, I thought I'd traveled with you for several years by now?"

"Oh, more than a few years. I've known you for the last few centuries," the Doctor admitted blithely, oblivious to her shock at the word 'centuries.' "But you never told me it was from some show about me. You always just sort of knew what was going on, and never told me how. Probably because you knew that today was when I would find out. But you didn't have to be quite so smug about it!" he told her, waving his fish finger at her.

Lyssa just laughed, taking another spoonful of ice cream. "You do realize that the reason I'm so secretive about it now, is because you told me I would be?"

The Doctor paused in the middle of a bite. "What? Oh, shut up," he mumbled.

"Spoilers!" she chuckled, making him glare at her, but with no real heat in it. A big yawn cut her off in the middle of filling her next spoonful.

"We should probably get you to bed," the Doctor said, putting down the bowl of custard. "It was already late by the time you woke up, and you're still a bit weak, so you should get some more rest. I can show you the rest of the TARDIS tomorrow."

"Late?" Lyssa questioned.

The Doctor smacked his forehead. "Oh, that's right. Well, you slept for about two days before waking up. And you didn't wake up until around 8 P.M., so... yeah. It's about 10 o'clock right now."

"Oh, wow. I didn't realize it was that late. Or that I had slept for that long."

"Yeah, well, time's a bit off in the TARDIS, and you did have a very stressful day before that," he told her, putting the leftover fish fingers and custard away. "Do you want me to put your ice cream away?" he asked, holding out a hand.

"Sure, thanks," Lyssa said, handing him the carton and licking her spoon clean before putting it in the sink, reaching for the dish soap out of habit.

"Don't bother about cleaning it, the TARDIS will do that," the Doctor informed her, standing in the doorway.

"Oh, okay," Lyssa said uncertainly, following him back to her room.

The Doctor pointed to her closet. "There should be some jim jams in there, along with any other clothes you should need. Otherwise, I can show you where the Wardrobe is tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks, Doctor. Um, where can I find you tomorrow?" Lyssa asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "I'll probably be in the console room working on the wiring, or something. Just ask the TARDIS. She'll lead you to me." There was an awkward pause. "Goodnight, Lyssa."

She smiled shyly. "Goodnight, Doctor," and gently shut the door. Opening the closet door, she saw a stack of pajamas on one shelf, and quickly grabbed a pair off the top.

Going back into her room and shaking out the pair, she saw it was a tank top and plush pants with teddy bears all over it. She smirked. "Nice to know that I still like the same things in the future." Quickly shedding her clothes, she pulled on her pajamas, mindful of her new cast, and went into the large bathroom to try and find a toothbrush. Fortunately, there was an unopened package in the first drawer next to a new tube of toothpaste, so she quickly brushed her teeth before pulling out a hairbrush and attacking her hair.

"It's barely past my shoulders, it shouldn't be this hard to brush out!" She muttered after one particularly vicious snarl. Finally removing all the tangles, she shut off the light and crawled into her bed, marveling at how soft the bed was. "Thanks, TARDIS," she said softly, feeling silly for talking to the TARDIS when she knew she couldn't respond.

She almost fell out of the bed when she felt a slight humming sound from the walls. "Was that you?" she asked quietly. Another humming sound answered her. She smiled, closing her eyes and quickly falling into a restless sleep. She dreamed of of being lost among the stars, floating endlessly, with no hope of escape, only for a trail of warmth to heat her frozen hands, and led her back to the TARDIS.

But when she woke up in the morning, there was no one there. Rubbing the grit out of her eyes, she slowly sat up, yawning. She stared at the room around her, uncomprehending, for a minute before it hit her. "Wait. I'm in the TARDIS!" she exclaimed, getting out of bed. "I'm. In. The TARDIS!" She started jumping up and down excitedly. "Wait," she stopped again. "That means that the Doctor is out there! And," she fingered her greasy hair and made a face, "I really need a shower!"

Thirty minutes and a quick shower later - grateful for waterproof casts - she walked out of her room dressed in jean capris with a flowy pink top, and her hair pulled into a messy bun. Looking around at the hallways, she sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Hey, TARDIS? Could you show me where the Doctor is?" When one of the hallways lit up with golden lights, she smiled. "Thanks!" Following the lights led her to the console room, where she found the Doctor tinkering with one of the dials on the console. "Hello, Doctor?" she asked, timidly stepping into the room.

He looked up. "Oh! Yes! Hello! I was wondering when you were going to wake up!"

She smiled shyly. "Well, I'm awake now, so..."

"Ah, yes. I was wondering what you'd like to do today," he said. "Would you like to keep looking around the TARDIS, or I could take you for a short trip?"

Lyssa's eyes widened. "Really? Where?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. I was thinking maybe a picnic of some sort? Something nice and quiet for your first trip. What do you think?"

She nodded excitedly. "I would love that. Can we go now?"

He grinned. "I was hoping you would say that. Hold on tight!" He exclaimed, twisting dials and pulling levers as the TARDIS began to wheeze and groan.

Grabbing onto the handrails, Lyssa began to laugh. "I can't believe I'm doing this!" she shouted over the wheezing and grinding.

The Doctor grinned and shouted back, "Just wait till you see where we're going!" They both jerked and fell to the floor as the TARDIS came to a stop.

Pulling Lyssa to her feet, the Doctor ordered, "Stay here!" Darting out of the room, he came back a moment later with a large picnic basket. "All right, Miss Devons," he said, offering her a hand. "Would you like to see your first alien planet?"

She grinned and took his hand. "I do believe I would, Doctor." Pushing open the door, she stopped and looked around at the planet. "It looks like Earth," she said, confused.

"That's because he landed you on the wrong side of the planet. This part was designed to look like Earth. It's a tourist resort. Welcome to Asgard," a new voice said.

Lyssa spun around to look. "River Song?" she gasped.

The woman smiled. "Hello, sweetie."

* * *

 **A/N: So this ended up being longer than I had planned. Huh. Hope you like it anyways. :D**

 **Also, this is not Brit-picked, so please excuse any errors. I am trying my best from what I know, but I am not British. Let me know what you thought, or what episodes you want to see.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to MageVicky, bwburke94, and guest for reviewing!**

 **If anyone has the same concerns that MageVicky did, I would just like to say that I don't plan on making 9 be a jerk. I have read well-written stories like that, but that wouldn't work with where I plan on taking this story, and I was never overly fond of that kind of character anyways. So, 9 will be a decent character.  
**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but Lyssa is all mine.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Picnic At Asgard

"River Song?" the Doctor asked incredulously, poking his head out of the TARDIS. "How did you get here?"

She shrugged with a coy smile. "A future version of you two picked me up and brought me here, saying I had something that needed to be done. And since you're here, I'm guessing it involves the two of you. Hello, by the way, Doctor."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, stepping out of the TARDIS to stand by Lyssa, hands in his pocket. "Well, then, hello, River, I guess. Where are we at in our timeline?"

River smiled, pulling out her blue journal, flipping through the pages. "You tell me. Jim the Fish?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Crash of the Byzantium?" he tried.

She flipped to a particular page and stopped, reading it before smiling. "One of my more recent adventures. The Pandorica Opens?"

He nodded. "My most recent adventure with you was the Impossible Astronaut."

She laughed. "Oh, that one was tricky. Delightfully fun, but very difficult."

She turned to Lyssa. "And what about you, pixie? Where are we at?"

"Er, River," the Doctor tried to forestall her.

Lyssa smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, but, uh, I've never met you before."

River's face fell. "Oh," she whispered. "I was afraid this day would come."

Lyssa shrugged uncomfortably. "Yeah. Sorry. If it's any consolation, this was my first time meeting him as well," she said, tilting her head towards the Doctor. "And apparently I do this a lot?"

River's eyes widened. "This is your very first adventure here, isn't it?" she breathed.

Lyssa bit her lip. "I guess? I mean, the last thing I did before this was survive a plane crash, so..."

River smiled. "Well, then. I know exactly what I'm supposed to do here." Reaching into the shoulder bag that matched her tan dress, she pulled out another TARDIS blue journal, similar to hers, and handed it to Lyssa. "The rules are simple. You write down what you know will happen in the back, and your personal adventures in the front. And you never let him, or me, read the book. Those are the rules you gave me when you told me that I was the one to give it to you."

"Oh." Lyssa took it, surprised, and started flipping through the pages. It was empty, and had white lined pages that were just waiting to be filled. "Thanks, I guess. And even though we both technically know who the other person is, I might as well introduce myself. I'm Lyssa Devons."

River Song smiled at her and shook her outstretched hand. "Doctor River Song, archaeologist. Pleasure to meet you."

Lyssa grinned. "Ha. Still can't quite believe that I'm really standing next to you. Actually, wait. Hold on. There's something that I forgot to do." Ignoring the Doctor and River, she went back to the TARDIS, peered inside, then circled the box from the outside, keeping one hand on the box the entire time. Finished with her circuit, she stepped inside the box, then back out, a look of marvel on her face. "It really, truly is bigger on the inside," she whispered.

The Doctor and River exchanged grins. "I love it when people say that," he remarked. "It's kind of funny to hear you say it now, though. You usually just say it as a joke."

Lyssa shrugged. "I guess, but this time it was my first time really seeing how big it really was on the inside, so it was sincere. Anyways," she focused on the picnic basket in the Doctor's hand. "You brought the food?"

He nodded, lifting up the lid and peeking inside. "And it looks like the TARDIS knew you were coming," he told River. "She packed food and dishes for you, too."

"I always knew she liked me," River smirked.

"So, you said we were on Asgard?" Lyssa asked. "Is this like, the Norwegian myths, Asgard? Or some other planet that just has the same name?"

"Well, technically it's part of the Metronus system, which has no relation whatsoever to earth mythology, but when the humans came here, the rings around the planet, which looked like rainbows, made them think of the rainbow bridge from Norwegian mythology. So they decided to call it Asgard," the Doctor explained.

"But the original colonists also wanted something to remind them of home, so they designed this part of the planet to look like Earth. That's why the sky looks blue, and the grass is green, and all that," he finished, indicating the grass. "But about a mile to the west, is where the real tourist section is. There, you have the markets, the vendors, the hotels, all the tourist attractions, etc."

"And is that where we're going?" Lyssa asked, looking up at him.

River smirked, setting out towards the east, where two red moons could be seen hanging in the sky. "Of course not. Everyone knows the best picnic spots are away from all the hustle and bustle of the city."

The Doctor chuckled, hanging the picnic basket in the crook of one arm and offering the other to Lyssa. "She is right about that. Even in the year four billion, you still get a lot of traffic jams. This is one of the last years where you can actually enjoy a day here in relative peace. Next year, the picnic grounds are taken down in order to make more room for the markets. And then the traffic gets even worse."

Accepting his arm, they started walking to the east. "So, what does the rest of the planet actually look like?" she asked curiously.

"Well, do you mean now, or the original planet?" the Doctor asked. "Because the original looked much different, and wasn't even habitable for humans before they added in an atmosphere, and all that jazz."

"Well, what does it look like now?" Lyssa clarified.

"Two moons, an artificial sun, and gravity, and the area where we're going is based off the planet Levnot 5. It's supposed to have the best vacation spots in the entire galaxy," River said, not looking back at them. "And we should be approaching it in about five minutes. You see where the grass changes color?" she asked, pointing towards the horizon, where the ground seemed to take on a darker tint.

"I think so," Lyssa said, peering towards it.

"That's where we'll be eating," she informed her. "And just a hint, run your fingers through the tree leaves when you get there."

"Okay?" Lyssa agreed, confused.

"Oh, you'll like it there," the Doctor said happily. "It's a lovely place."

Sure enough, five minutes later the grass had changed to a lovely lavender shade, and they could hear a faint musical melody in the background. "Oh, that's pretty," Lyssa said, looking around for the source of the sound. "Where's it coming from?"

"Why don't you try running your hands through the leaves, first?" River suggested. Lyssa looked at her quizzically, but did so. Walking over to a nearby tree, she slowly began to run her hand through the purple leaves. Her expression changed as, quiet at first, but then getting louder as her hand moved faster, a simple, pretty melody seemed to emanate from the tree.

Looking back at the Doctor and River in shock, she demanded, "What is this?"

The Doctor laughed. "It's one of the musical trees from Levnot 5. The leaves produce a musical note when touched. Do you know, there's one tree that they biologically engineered to play words along with the music? Of course, then there were the people who started complaining that it wasn't really a tree, anymore, because they'd changed its DNA, but it was still a lovely tree to listen to."

"Doctor, you're rambling," River pointed out gracefully.

"Eh? Oh, right then. How about we see what she's packed for us to eat?" the Doctor offered, setting the basket down and pulling out a large blanket for them to sit on. Wandering back over from the tree, Lyssa sat down besides River and began pulling out the plates.

"Why is there wine in here?" she wondered, pulling out a bottle, and one glass.

"That would be for me, dear," River smiled, taking the bottle and pouring herself a glass. "You don't like it, and he's such a picky eater that he won't drink it either. There's most likely milk in there for you in a thermos."

Digging into the basket, Lyssa pulled out a large thermos. Taking off the lid, she peered inside. Gasping, she declared, "This is all mine, sorry, Doctor. You'll have to drink something else. I'm keeping this."

"What is it?" the Doctor asked curiously.

Lyssa shook her head, clutching the thermos to her chest greedily. "I'm not telling you. You'll just have to get your own thermos."

Laughing, the Doctor grabbed another thermos from the basket. "I guess she planned for you to hoard the chocolate milk like you always do, too." Peering inside, he made a noncommittal gesture. "Water is good. I like water."

"Wait. Are you saying that the TARDIS always gives me chocolate milk?" Lyssa gasped.

River chuckled. "Of course, dear. We all know how much you love chocolate milk."

Lyssa's eyes widened. "I think I love the TARDIS even more now. I never got chocolate milk back home unless I hid it from Mom. She didn't like me having too much junk food or sweet stuff. Said it would make me fat." The Doctor's face hardened.

Something in River's face changed, but she kept her voice the same as she handed out the sandwiches. "Would you mind telling me about your life back home? I know some things, but you never talked much about it. And I still want to know how you ended up with a cast on your hand," she added, shooting a glare at the Doctor.

"It's not his fault," Lyssa interjected, wrinkling her nose. "And there's not much to talk about. I finished high school, worked as a nanny for a few years, then decided that I didn't want to live with my mother anymore, as I was done with being taken advantage of by her. So I ordered a plane ticket to England secretly, packed my bag, and took off. Of course, nothing in life is ever easy, so... a bad storm came up, and we had to make a crash landing, during which at some point my hand got broken. Then, while running for shelter, I got struck by lightning. And now, I'm either in a coma and vividly hallucinating, or I'm at a picnic with two people that I used to believe were completely fictional, on an alien planet."

"Well, I can assure you that you're not dreaming, dear," River promised. "If you were, it'd likely be much stranger."

Lyssa raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Stranger than finding out that I will be jumping around the timeline of a madman in a box, who has two hearts, and am currently on an alien planet?"

River raised her wine glass to her before taking a drink. "Fair point. But consider this. It's been widely believed that you can't read the same thing in dreams, and that clock times switch every time you look at them. Now, I know you're a massive bookworm, and I know that one of the first things the Doctor would have included on a tour is the library. Am I right?"

"You're right," Lyssa admitted. "And I read the backs of the books, and they all made sense, and were what I was expecting. It's just still hard to believe sometimes."

"Sometimes things don't make sense, and we just have to accept them," the Doctor said cheerily, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Lyssa snorted. "Easy for you to say. With the life you lead, there's probably a dozen things that don't make sense on a daily basis."

"Oh, more than that, easily," River said, finishing her sandwich. "And I'm one of them, aren't I?" she asked the Doctor with a twinkle in her eye.

He snorted. "River, you alone probably make up a third of them. Lyssa makes up half, and the rest are just as yet unexplained issues."

Lyssa shrugged, taking the last bite and washing it down with a large drink of chocolate milk. "Well, this is my first time meeting you, so, I don't know about any of that yet."

"Ah, yes!" the Doctor exclaimed, getting to his feet. "That reminds me. How would you like to see the rest of the planet, maybe go shopping a bit at the market?"

"But we don't have any money!" Lyssa objected, sipping from her chocolate milk.

He shrugged, digging his hand into his pocket, almost to the elbow. "I'm sure I've got some credit sticks in here somewhere... Aha!" he shouted, pulling out three small, metal sticks triumphantly. "I knew I had some left over!" He offered them to the women.

Lyssa took one and examined it curiously. "It looks like the credit sticks they used on Satellite 5."

The Doctor looked startled. "So that's where it came from," he said softly.

"What?" River asked, grabbing another sandwich.

"Well, back when I was 'ol Big Ears, I took Rose and Lyssa here to Satellite Five. And before you say 'spoilers,' she already knew what was going to happen, " he added, pointing a finger at River before continuing. "I was going to give them a credit stick to get some food, but Lyssa just pulled one out of her pocket and said she had it covered. Said she got it from me."

"Does that mean that I don't have to give it back, then?" Lyssa asked with a smirk, taking a cookie from a bag River pulled out of the picnic basket.

The Doctor sighed. "Might as well keep it, I suppose. It'll probably come in handy, and I can always get more if need be."

"Great!" Lyssa said excitedly, bouncing up and down. "Now, these cookies look really good, so could you actually hand me another one, River, please?" she begged. River smiled, handing her the whole bag.

xXx

Half an hour later, all the food had been eaten, and the dishes packed away. Lyssa turned impatiently to the others. "Now, can I go see my possibly hallucinated alien market?"

"Why not?" River declared, folding the blanket and placing it on top of the dishes in the basket before shutting the lid. "It would be nice to find some new things to decorate my cell at Stormcage. I do so love seeing them get all worked up wondering where it came from," she said with a mischievous smile.

The Doctor shook his head. "Oh, River. Whatever am I to do with you?"

"Take us shopping, of course!" Lyssa interjected. "I want to see my alien planet." The Doctor hid a smile, but agreed. Grabbing the picnic basket, they set off for the city, making a brief stop to return the picnic basket to the TARDIS before continuing on.

"So this is what an alien marketplace looks like," Lyssa commented, looking around at all the people rushing about. Some looked like humans with just a few minor differences, others were only vaguely humanoid shaped, while being different colors, such as blue or red, and still others looked nothing like a human at all. And all over the place were the vendors, looking just as alien as the shoppers, hanging out their wares and trying to attract customers.

"Alright, Doctor, why don't you go grab some parts for the TARDIS, and Lyssa and I can get a little girl time," River suggested, placing her arm around Lyssa's shoulders.

"I do need a few Laspkitters," the Doctor agreed. "Let's meet by the food court in an hour or two," he suggested, pointing to a large clear area filled with tables over by their left.

"All right. We'll see you in two hours, Doctor," River called over her shoulder, leading Lyssa further down the row of vendors.

"Don't be late!" he ordered, before immediately getting distracted by a shiny globe offered by one vendor.

"I swear, that man acts like a child," River said, rolling her eyes and picking up a small crystal from a booth. "Now, what do you think of this gem? It supposedly will change color to match your outfit, but I'm not so sure about it."

Lyssa shrugged uncertainly. "I don't really know about this sort of thing, but I don't think that it's really your style."

River examined the small gem for a moment. "No, I don't think it is either. Let's keep looking." Placing the gem back in its case, they wandered on for a few more minutes before River spoke up again. "Now that we're away from the Doctor and his eavesdropping ears, tell me. How do you really feel about all of this?"

Lyssa hesitated. "Is it all right to say that I don't know? Because on the one hand, part of me is ridiculously excited about the fact that I'm now going to be living with one of my favorite characters ever, and that he's real. But on the other hand, I'm in a completely different universe, and I can't ever go home. And virtually everything that I thought was set in stone has now been completely turned on its head. I mean, there were no aliens back in my universe. None."

River regarded her curiously. "None? Really?"

Lyssa nodded, flipping through a rack of what looked like tunics. "Our universe was just humans. No Avengers, no super heroes, no aliens of any kind, just us humans. Then I come here, and aliens are definitely real, along with time travel, and fictional characters." She sighed. "Things were less complicated in high school algebra."

River chuckled and held a dark blue tunic up to herself. "Cheer up, sweetheart. You'll get a hang of things real soon. Oh, no, that doesn't look quite right. Let's try something else." She pulled her down to another vendor, who was offering different types of jewelry. She immediately picked out a small, thin necklace made out of a silvery material up to Lyssa's neck.

"Oh, this suits you perfectly!" she gasped. "How much is it?" she asked the vendor.

"That will be 4,000 credits, Ma'am," the vendor said, putting two of its arms behind its head.

"Oh, River that's too much!" Lyssa exclaimed.

River ignored her. "I'll take it," she declared, handing the vendor her credit stick. Getting her credit stick back, she ordered Lyssa to turn around.

"River, that was a lot of money! Why did you do that?" Lyssa demanded.

"Just turn around, I'll explain in a minute," River said, forcibly but gently moving Lyssa. "Could you move your hair, dear?" Lyssa sighed, pulling her hair around to the front of her body as River gently placed the necklace around her neck and fastened it. "There. Now let me see." Dropping her hair and rolling her eyes, Lyssa turned back around.

River stood there for a minute, just studying her. "There. Now you look a bit more like yourself. Just take that frown off your face. You look gorgeous, and consider it a welcoming gift from me to you, pixie. It's made of an extremely durable material, so it won't be easily broken."

Lyssa looked down at the necklace. "It is kind of pretty," she admitted. "But shouldn't it have some sort of jewelry on it? And why do you keep calling me that?"

"Of course it is, darling. I have excellent taste in jewelry," River teased her. "And this necklace will have jewelry on it soon enough. As for the rest... well, spoilers," she grinned. "Now, let's keep looking. We've still got a good hour and a half left, and I want to find something suitably outrageous for my cell."

Lyssa smiled uncomfortably as they continued on. River stopped and pulled her aside. "Lyssa, you know why I'm in Stormcage, don't you?" she asked bluntly.

Lyssa avoided her eyes for a minute before muttering, "Because you were forced to kill someone."

River nodded, satisfied, still keeping her face serious. "It's best that you know this now, before everything starts. No spoilers, but not everything is the same as it was in your videos. Most of the major timeline events will be the same, but things will change, even just by the nature of you being here."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Lyssa asked nervously.

"I mean," River said seriously, "That don't be alarmed if things don't happen the way you think they will. Most of the time, the change is for the better. You can save the life of a person here or there, maybe." She sighed. "But you cannot always change major events, even if it's with the intention of helping someone." She looked Lyssa intently in the eyes. "Sometimes it's worse if you try to change something that shouldn't be changed."

"But, but what about -"

River cut her off. "Some things can be changed without causing ripple effects. Other events cannot be changed, no matter how much they hurt. You'll start to figure it out as you go along, don't worry. I'm just telling you now, so that you know ahead of time. There's no need to look so alarmed, most of the time things will work themselves out."

Lyssa blinked, trying to wrap her head around all the new information she had just received over the last few days. River placed an arm around her shoulders and led her over to another booth. "All right, now, dear, let's just forget about that and keep looking. Here, what do you think about this?" she asked, holding up a box of what appeared to be assorted dyes.

Lyssa squinted at it. "Is it hair dye, or what?"

River beamed at her. "It can be whatever you'd like it to be. Body dye, hair dye, clothes dye, the works! I wonder what the guards would think if I showed up with purple hair," she mused.

Lyssa's eyes widened. "No, don't do that! Your curls are gorgeous the way they are!" she exclaimed, holding up her hands in an attempt to stop her.

River looked amused and put the box back. "Oh, don't get in such a fret, I wasn't really planning on doing it. And I know you would never dye your hair either."

Lyssa shook her head stubbornly. "That's right. It's kind of like my own personal act of rebellion."

"What do you mean?" River asked, picking up an orb and studying it.

"Well, Mom always wanted me to dye my hair," Lyssa explained. "To red, or black, or anything but that 'horrid shade of brown,'" she mocked. "So I decided that I would never do it. Partially to spite her, and partially because I like my hair the way it is."

"And so you should. Your hair is lovely the way it is," River informed her. "Now come on. I've got my eye on those Barzillian Corfs, and I want to get one before they all sell out. They're hard to get, but well worth the trouble."

Two hours later, Lyssa had a small bag with a few small souvenirs she had picked up, such as a small gadget that could display the local star systems on the ceiling, and a green crystal that could glow in the dark, in addition to her necklace. River, on the other hand, had a large bag filled with all sorts of items, including bobby pins that could double as knives if she unfolded them.

"I suppose it's time to get back to the Doctor, he'll probably be getting impatient," River said at last, checking her wrist.

"Okay, do you know how to find that eating place?" Lyssa asked, looking around. "Because I don't know where we are."

"Oh, it's just back here," River said dismissively, cutting through a line of shoppers.

"Oh!" Lyssa exclaimed, looking around as they suddenly entered a large, paved area with tables all over, filled with people eating all sorts of things. "Do you see the Doctor anywhere?" she asked, looking around the courtyard.

"No," River frowned. "But he is the Doctor, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was late. Let's just get ourselves something, and we can wait at one of the tables for him."

"Alright," Lyssa agreed. "But, um... Do you know of anything that would be good to eat? Because I don't have a clue what's good to eat or not."

"Here. You find us a seat, and I'll get us some good, old-fashioned ice cream," River assured her. "They sell all sorts of food here, including Earth favorites. There. That's a good spot," she said, pointing.

Squinting, Lyssa tried to see where she was pointing to. "Where?" She turned around to ask, but River had already disappeared into the crowd. "River?"

"Lyssa! There you are!" The Doctor came running up and grabbed her shoulders, making her jump. "Where's River?"

"I, I don't - she went to go get us some food," Lyssa stuttered. "Why?"

"I may have upset one of the Alrkans when I pointed out that he was using an illegal form of Vesperin Oil. And uh, he had a few friends," the Doctor admitted.

"What did you do now?" River asked exasperatedly, showing up out of nowhere, another bag in her hands.

"I think I may have angered a few of the natives," he explained briefly. "And they weren't very happy about losing a profit."

"Is that them?" River asked, looking over the Doctor's shoulders, where a large group of tall, angry, three-armed purple aliens had just entered the courtyard.

He risked a glance. "Yep. Aaaand, we should go. Now would be good," he added as one of said aliens spotted him and let out a roar, pointing him out to his companions.

"Right. You two, this way," River said firmly, grabbing their hands and pulling them behind one of the stalls. "I'll distract them. Doctor, you get Lyssa back to the TARDIS, and keep her safe," she emphasized, pulling out a few small orbs from her bag.

The Doctor nodded. "Meet us at the TARDIS when you're done," he insisted.

"Oh, I'll be fine. Just go!" She shouted, pushing them further away and darting back out into the courtyard.

Running and ducking through crowds of people, Lyssa and the Doctor had made it almost to the edge of the market when a loud explosion echoed through the marketplace. "What was that?" Lyssa cried, clutching his hand tighter to avoid losing him in the now panicking crowd.

"River," the Doctor panted, not stopping. "The orbs she had were Tyranian fire works. Lots of light and smoke, but no damage."

"Then why are we still running?!" Lyssa demanded, almost out of breath.

"The problem with Alrkans is that they tend not to give up when they get angry," the Doctor shouted over his shoulder. "They're rather like bulls when they get mad, and that happens fairly easily, and gets messy very quickly."

He stopped suddenly, making Lyssa bump into him. "What was that for?" she complained, rubbing her now sore nose. He ignored her, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and scanning the air, before examining the results with a frown.

"What's wrong?"

He turned around to face her, gripping her shoulders gently. "One thing I forgot about the Alrkans is that they have the ability to camouflage themselves," he said in a low voice.

"Camouflage?" Lyssa asked, wrinkling her brow.

He nodded. "And uh, the sonic just detected the presence of several of them. Running towards us. Very fast."

"So what do we do?" Lyssa asked, frightened.

He looked her in the eyes and grabbed her uninjured hand again. "We run."

* * *

 **A/N: Still not British, still not Brit-picked. Sorry. :(**

 **But... oh my gosh, you guys. 10 favorites and 18 follows after only two chapters?! Wow! Thank you all so much, and I hope you continue to like it!**

 **Also, shout-out to yellowroseofthenw and Miriam Who for reviewing!**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or BBC yet, but hopefully I will be a kinder ruler of my world than Moffatt is...**


	4. Chapter 4 - Time Jumper

_This chapter is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the attacks on September 11, 2001, and their families. May we never forget._

After several more minutes of frantic running, the TARDIS came into view. "Come on! Run!" the Doctor called, pulling a stumbling Lyssa up to the doors, stopping and dropping her hand to dig through his pocket for the key. Lyssa just stood there, panting, trying to get her breath under control, when she felt something grab her and wrap a furry hand around her mouth.

She tried to cry out, but felt the hand squeeze harder in retaliation, muffling her cries. "Almost got it," he said, fumbling with the key. "Aha!" he cried in triumph, turning around and stopping short when he saw Lyssa, key in hand. "Lyssa!" He started forward, freezing when the alien held up a knife to her throat.

"Don't come any closer, Doctor, or your little friend dies," the alien sneered.

He immediately heldup his hands to show that he had no weapons. "All right! I stopped. Now what do you want?" he asked, switching his gaze from Lyssa to the alien.

"I want what you stole from us!" the alien hissed.

The Doctor frowned. "I didn't steal anything from you! You're an Alrkan! What would I possibly want to steal from you?"

The Alrkan hissed again, digging the knife a little deeper into Lyssa's throat, making her wince. "You stole our home from us! Our lives!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn't steal anything!" The Doctor repeated frantically, eyes on Lyssa. "All I did was tell your friend that he was using an illegal form of the oil! That's all! I swear!"

"You stole our profit from us!" The Alrkan snarled. "And you stole our planet from us! Every Alrkan knows the face of the man who stole everything from us, Doctor!" He spat.

The Doctor shook his head, keeping his hands in the air. "I haven't done anything to you, I promise! I've never even been to your planet!"

"You didn't have to," the alien growled, not loosening his grip. "The Time War wiped out my planet with ever being visited by a single Time Lord. And it wasn't too hard to realize that the same man who had ended the Time War also ended my planet. The only survivor. The coward."

The Doctor recoiled. "No! I didn't - I couldn't - the Time War never touched planets as far out as Alrkus! The Time War raged across galaxies, but it never touched Alrkus! It was still there when my planet fell," the Doctor pleaded, tears shimmering in his green eyes.

"Lies!" The Alrkan shouted, gripping Lyssa tighter. "I've been searching for you for a long time, and now you stumbled into my hands. But I don't think I'll kill you." He chuckled, trailing the knife along Lyssa's neck, deep enough to break the skin and draw a trickle of blood, making her whimper and close her eyes.

"No, it will be much more fun to watch you be consumed with guilt from the inside, as your fury consumed my home," the alien laughed darkly. "And all I have to do is take away the one thing that matters to you most. What do you think, Doctor? A heart in exchange for a home?"

The Doctor shook his head angrily, eyes still wet, but a rage quickly appearing in them that made Lyssa shudder. "She has no part in this. And I had no part in what happened to your home. Alrkus died because a meteor shower destroyed the shielding processor. Not the Time War. And not me. But threatening her is the quickest way to really see the fury of a Time Lord. Now let. Her. Go." he ordered coldly.

The Alrkan drew breath to respond, but in the end he didn't have to. A shooting sound from behind made Lyssa jump, then flinch as the arm around her suddenly froze.

The Doctor leapt forward and pulled the arms off of her roughly, tugging her into his arms and hugging her, clutching her head to his chest. "Wh-what happened?" Lyssa stammered, clinging to the Doctor, but trying to turn around to see.

"River paralyzed him," the Doctor breathed out, not letting her move. "Are you hurt?"

"I-I don't think so," Lyssa said, feeling herself starting to shake slightly.

The Doctor gently pulled back and examined her, frowning when he saw her neck. Gently rubbing his finger around the broken skin, he stopped when she winced. Pulling her back to his side, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled out his key from his pocket with his other hand. "Coming, River?" he asked, opening the door and stepping inside.

"I told you to keep her safe," River scowled, stalking inside after them and pulling the door shut behind her. "Are you all right, sweetie?" she asked, looking at Lyssa with concern.

"I guess?" she answered softly, still clutching the Doctor's shirt, eyes wide.

Taking her in, River's face softened. "I'll direct the TARDIS. You stay with her."

The Doctor nodded, rubbing Lyssa's shoulder with his hand, all traces of rage gone. Leading Lyssa over to the seat, he gently sat down beside her and took her hand in his. "Now, how are you really doing?" he asked softly, looking her in the eyes.

Feeling the first sign of tears starting to prick her eyes, she swallowed hard and looked down. "I don't, I don't really know how I feel anymore. I mean, it, it all happened so fast, and now my neck's starting to hurt, and, and - " she stopped, trying to blink away the tears.

"Hey." The Doctor cupped her chin. "It's alright if you feel overwhelmed. You were just threatened by an alien a mere three days after having your life flipped around onto its head. Anyone would be upset after a day like today. And I'm sorry that it had to end this way. I really am."

Lyssa sniffed and swiped at her nose. "It's not your fault. It was that Alerkoon or whatever he was. And don't you dare believe a word that he said was true!" she added, raising her head to look at him. "He was a filthy liar who would say whatever he thought would get him his way."

"She's right," River agreed, making them both jump, both of them having forgotten she was there. "That Alrkan? He's a wanted fugitive in five galaxies for extortion, grand theft, and murder." She glanced at the Doctor with sympathy in her eyes.

"He likes to play the part of a victim in some big war the leader of a large planet was involved in, and demands recompense. Usually along the lines of something extremely valuable to its owner. It's not a well-known fact, but his kind feast on the emotions connected to them. My guess is he would have demanded the TARDIS in exchange for Lyssa's life."

"What did you do to him?" Lyssa asked, trying to discreetly wipe the tears from her eyes.

River shrugged uncaringly. "I paralyzed him and took care of his companions. I would have loved to have taught him a lesson, but... circumstances demanded other actions," she said, looking at Lyssa's neck. "However, it is some consolation to know that I informed the local authorities about what was happening. They'll arrest the Alrkan, and find his record. So that's a small comfort."

The Doctor let a laugh that sounded almost like a sigh. "Thank you, River," he said in a subdued voice. Lyssa looked up at him, concerned. Even though she had only been conscious here for a day or two, she could tell that the Alrkan's accusations about the Time War had brought up some unhappy memories.

"Did you land us already?" she asked River, trying to distract the Doctor.

River smirked. "Of course I did."

That got the Doctor's attention. "You couldn't have!" he protested with some of his usual verve. "It didn't do the vwoorp-vwoorp sound it always makes!"

River smiled at him. "It only makes that sound when you fly it," she informed him smugly. "Or if Lyssa's feeling generous. Now, it is time for me to be getting back to my cell, so I've landed us at Stormcage Containment Facility. But I'll expect a visit from the both of you very soon," she ordered, pointing at them. "Got that?"

"Got it." Lyssa smiled, still feeling slightly shaken, but much more normal, getting up and giving her a hug. "Thanks for the necklace," she whispered.

"No problem, sweetie. You just keep that man in check," River assured her, hugging her back tightly. "And you, take care of yourself," she added to the Doctor.

He smirked. "Don't I always?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not even going to answer that." Picking up her bags, she strolled to the doors and pushed it open. Coming to the doors to watch her leave, Lyssa and the Doctor waved as she strolled carelessly over to her cell and opened her door.

"Isn't that supposed to be locked?" Lyssa asked the Doctor in an undertone.

He shrugged, shutting the doors and starting the dematerialization sequence. "With River, I've learned that it's best not to ask sometimes." He flipped a few switches. "There. We're floating outside the Spearhead Nebula, now I'd like to take a look at your neck," he said softly, looking at her with concern.

"O-okay," she agreed, wincing as she felt the skin around her neck stretch when she nodded.

Leading her to the Infirmary, the Doctor sat her on the examination table and began rummaging around in one of the cabinets on the wall. "You know, I'd sort of hoped that I wouldn't have to bring you back here so soon," he admitted, pulling out a tin and opening it. "And I wanted your first trip to an alien planet to be something fun, not... this," he said after a pause.

"It's not your fault," Lyssa told him again, seeing the guilt enter his eyes when he looked at her neck. He made a dismissive shake of his head, but didn't say anything aside from asking her to lift her head slightly. Dipping a finger into the gel, he began to gently rub it onto her cut and the skin around it. "What's that?" Lyssa asked awkwardly, head tilted upwards.

"It's Dermal Regeneration Cream," the Doctor told her, showing her the tin. "You can put your head down now, it should be fully healed. It works a lot faster than the bone knitter, which is why your hand's still in a cast," he explained, indicating her left hand.

Lyssa ran her right hand along her neck in awe. It had indeed fully healed, with no scars or bumps to indicate that an injury had ever taken place. "Thank you," she told the Doctor warmly. He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead, making her blush and sending warmth through her face when he did so.

"Of course. I will always be there if you need me," he told her seriously. She smiled shyly, biting her lip. He blushed suddenly, looking away and breaking the moment. "If you're all right, then, I have a few repairs that I need to complete in the TARDIS," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

She nodded, hopping down from the bed. "Sure. I need to fill out my journal anyways," she said, guessing that he would need some time alone to heal after the day they had had. "The TARDIS will direct me to my room, right?"

The Doctor nodded, putting the tin back. "Of course. Like I said," he turned around. "She likes you. Just ask her."

"Okay, then. Thanks, Doctor," she said, heading out the door.

He smiled at her warmly. "Anytime."

She smiled back at him before walking into the hallway and looking around. "Erm, TARDIS? Would you mind showing me the way to my room?" she asked softly.

The ship hummed in reply and lit up the left side of the hallway in golden lights. "Thank you!" she cried, hurrying down the hallway and following the lights until they reached her room. Pushing open the white door, she let out a sigh of relief, and collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes. A moment later she opened them again, feeling something digging into her back. Feeling behind her, she located the object and pulled it out.

It was the blue journal River had given her earlier, and on the nightstand by her bed was a pen, next to the bag of souvenirs that she had picked up that morning. She laughed. "Oh, you beautiful thing," she told the ship. "Thank you!" She felt a hum in response and smiled, grabbing the pen and opening the journal to the very first page.

She hesitated for a minute, trying to figure out what to write down. Finally, she shrugged and wrote 'Picnic At Asgard' at the top, and began writing how she had met the Doctor, and her very first adventure with him. After filling two pages, she flipped to the far back, where it was separated with a small divider, marked 'Spoilers,' in what she could only guess was a nod to River.

She spent the next four hours writing down the gist of what she could remember from various episodes of the show, and only stopped when her hand began to cramp, and her stomach began gurgling in hunger. Dropping the pen with a sigh, she tucked the journal into her pocket, noticing with gratitude that it was deep enough to cover it without being distracting, and wandered out into the hallways.

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, she began to feel slightly dizzy, and leaned on the wall, trying to regain her sense of balance. Unfortunately, it only got worse as the walls of the TARDIS began swimming before her, and she fell on her hands and knees, her hands seeming to glow a transparent golden color.

"D-doctor," she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

He came around the corner a few moments later, fiddling with a wire in his hands. "The TARDIS told me you wanted me?" he commented idly, only then looking up. "Lyssa!" He cried, dropping to his knees by her side.

"Doctor! What's happening to me?" she demanded, holding her hand in front of her face, which was switching between transparent and solid.

He frowned. "It means you're about to jump again. You'll end up at another point along my timeline, with another version of me."

"It's hard to breathe," she panted.

"I know, and I'm so sorry, but there's nothing I can do. Just stay calm," he told her. "I know where you're going, and you're going to be fine."

Her entire body was glowing gold now. "Doctor, I'm scared," she pleaded, holding out her hand.

His eyes looked sad, but he grabbed her hand and held it tight. "I know you are. But when you land, I'm going to be right there, I promise. And I'm not going to leave you," he tried to assure her. Her eyes locked with his before she faded completely, the TARDIS replaced by the golden vortex before swiftly fading into the darker console room of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. She found herself shakily standing next to the console, before her feet gave out on her and she sank to the floor.

"Lyssa?" the Tenth Doctor said incredulously, crouching down from the console beside her. "Are you all right?"

She blinked, trying to gather her bearings. "I-I think so," she breathed. "Just a little dizzy." She suddenly found herself wrapped in the arms of a time lord.

"I missed you," he whispered.

She patted his back awkwardly, "Uh, okay?" _  
_

"Doctor?" A female voice broke into their conversation. "Is that Lyssa? Is she back?"

"Yeah, she's over here, Rose," the Doctor called back, raising his voice and pulling Lyssa to her feet. His eyes landed on her cast, making him frown and open his mouth to say something. But he never got the chance as a blonde blur came darting around the console at high speeds and slammed into Lyssa, making her stagger back.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Rose squealed.

Lyssa coughed, trying to get her breath back. "Uh, thanks?" she wheezed. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I can't breathe, so..."

"Oh, sorry," Rose blushed and released her. "Wait. What do you mean it's nice to meet me?" She asked, looking confused.

"Lyssa... how far along are you? I mean, where are you at in our timeline?" The Doctor asked, studying her with a hesitant look in her eyes.

She shrugged. "This is my first time meeting either of you, actually. I mean, I met a future version of you," she said, nodding at the Doctor. "But then I started to glow and get all dizzy, then I ended up here."

He nodded, looking disappointed, but trying to hide it. "Is that when you hurt your hand?" He asked, looking at the cast.

"What? Oh," she realized, looking down at her hand. "No, I actually broke my hand before I came here. The plane I was on had to make a crash landing due to a freak storm, and I guess some luggage landed on it, or something. The future you said that I should be able to take it off after a couple days, but that was yesterday, so..."

The Doctor nodded. "I can take a look at it later today, if you'd like," he offered.

"Sure," Lyssa smiled. "I've never broken a bone before, so it'd be nice to get this thing off. I'm still not used to it," she added, prodding at the stiff, white cast.

"No, don't poke at it, that won't do anything," the Doctor said, gently moving her hand. "So, did future me do anything special for your first adventure?"

Lyssa smiled. "Well, no spoilers, but you did take me and a future friend out for a very lovely picnic. Well, it was lovely before we were attacked by aliens, but I did get this pretty necklace, so I guess it all evens out in the end," she said, fingering the silver charm necklace River had given her.

The Doctor flinched, but quickly covered it up and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, then, I suppose I must say that it's very nice to meet you, Miss Devons."

Lyssa smiled at him. "Likewise, Doctor. And a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Tyler. So tell me, what did you just do, to help me figure out where I'm at?"

The Doctor grinned. "In a word, Miss Devons, Cybermen."

Lyssa's face filled with realization. "Oh," she breathed. "Pete's world, then."

"Yup," he nodded. "We stopped by Jackie's for a bit after, then returned to the Time Vortex," he said, nose wrinkling at the mention of Jackie.

"So, were you doing anything before I showed up?" Lyssa asked, looking around the room.

The Doctor shrugged. "Not really. I was thinking of taking Rose to see Elvis in New York. See him performing live."

"Really?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Why not?" the Doctor shrugged again. "What do you think, Lyssa?"

Lyssa opened her mouth to answer, but her stomach chose that moment to remind her that she hadn't eaten for several hours, and growled loudly. She blushed and looked down. "That sounds great, but would it be all right if I ate something first? I haven't eaten for a while," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Of course!" Rose said happily. "I actually had just come down to tell the Doctor that breakfast was ready. I made banana pancakes."

"Banana pancakes?" Lyssa asked, furrowing her brow. "As in, pancakes made from bananas, or pancakes with bananas in them?"

"Does it matter?" the Doctor asked, walking out of the room. "I mean, banana pancakes. Who could say no to that?"

Rose rolled her eyes and linked arms with Lyssa. "He's obsessed with bananas," she whispered.

Lyssa nodded, chuckling. "But he hates pears with a passion. Not sure why."

"Is it a Time Lord thing?" Rose asked her quietly.

Lyssa shrugged. "I can't say for sure, seeing as he's the only one I've met so far, but I think it might be just him. I mean, the future him hates apples, but pears aren't as despised, so..."

"Lyssa, Rose, what are you two on about?" the Doctor asked, poking his head out of the kitchen door.

The girls looked at each other and giggled. "Spoilers!" Lyssa said mischievously, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a plate full of pancakes.

He groaned. "Really? You just got here, and you're already going to start that?"

Lyssa shrugged. "You tell me," she teased, diving into her pancakes, which had no chunks in them, but tasted like banana. "Mm, these are really good, Rose!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Rose nodded smugly. "You always liked my pancakes better than his," she boasted, making the Doctor pout.

He pointed his fork full of pancake at her. "Just because I blow up the blender one time doesn't mean that it will happen every time," he told her.

Lyssa smirked at him. "Spoilers," she sang, making him glare at her.

"Hold on, Lyssa. What's that?" Rose asked, pointing at her shirt.

"What's what?" she asked, looking down at her pink shirt. "Oh." Near the top of the shirt was a small splattering of dark red drops. "Um, I did mention that the picnic wasn't entirely peaceful," she tried.

The Doctor leaned forward and examined the drops with concern. "Lyssa, that's blood! What happened?"

"Spoilers," she said sheepishly. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she waved one hand in the air awkwardly. "It's in your future, I can't exactly give it away!" she said indignantly. "Let's just say that things got out of hand with a brute of an alien, and you were able to fix it all with a dermal regenerator, and I just forgot to change my shirt. That's all."

The Doctor was frowning. "Are you sure you're all right?" he demanded.

Lyssa rolled her eyes. "No. You proceeded to completely ignore me and left me to die. So I magically healed most of my wounds on my own, but I've probably got a ruptured spleen somewhere down there. Of course you made sure I was fine. And you looked about ready to murder that alien, too."

"He's always like that around you," Rose remarked casually.

Lyssa snorted. "He's like that with all of his companions, Rose."

The blonde companion shook her head. "No, it's different with you, coz -"

"Spoilers, Rose," the Doctor cut her off with a warning look. "Lyssa's new here. She doesn't know all of that, yet." Rose subsided and ate the rest of her pancakes, throwing sidelong glances at the Doctor.

Five pancakes later, Lyssa was feeling extremely full. "Thank you, Rose," she said, leaning back in her chair and putting her fork on her plate. "Those were delicious."

Rose smiled at her. "Thank you. I'm glad someone around here knows how to appreciate my culinary talents."

"I appreciate them!" the Doctor protested.

Rose smirked at him. "I know. I was just talking to Lyssa."

"Hmph." The Doctor sulked. "I'm not going to stay around here and be insulted. I have to go make sure that the calibration mechanism has fully settled anyhow. Unless you'd prefer that 1950's New York be First Century Rome, complete with the gladiators?"

"Oh, stuff it," Rose said, gathering her dishes and putting them into the sink. "We've already been there. Just go and fix that mechanism, and let us wash the dishes already."

"Fine," he snorted, grabbing a banana and stuffing it in his pocket. "But you better be ready for New York in an hour, or I'll leave you here," he threatened.

"Uh-huh. Okay." Rose agreed, sounding completely disbelieving. "Now go. Shoo." With a huff, and one more stolen banana, he left, leaving the two girls alone in the kitchen. "Finally," Rose said, rolling her eyes and filling the sink with soapy water. "I thought he'd never leave."

Lyssa half smiled, gathering the dishes from the table and placing them on the counter next to the sink. "Why are you washing them?" the asked curiously. "The Doctor told me that the TARDIS would wash them for us."

"Oh, I know," Rose stated, dipping the plates into the water. "But I like to wash them myself. It's what I'm used to, and it makes me feel less useless, bein' able to help out around here."

"You're not useless!" Lyssa protested. "You're one of the most useful people I know! And you've helped a lot of people already, even on adventures I haven't been on yet, and you'll do even more in the future!"

The blonde smiled at her gratefully, scrubbing at a plate, then handing it to her to be rinsed. "Thanks. It sounds shallow, but I mean, the Doctor's, well, the Doctor, and you're, uh," she faltered. "Well, that'd be spoilers, I guess. Sorry."

Lyssa shook her head, drying off the dishes as they were handed to her and putting them in a rack off to the side. "Don't worry about it. My guess is that there's going to be an awful lot of 'spoilers' going around before I'm through."

"Well, you're not wrong," Rose chuckled. "Honestly, it's kind of funny, watching you an' the Doctor drive each other bonkers every time you throw a 'spoilers' at the other." She snorted, handing the last dish to Lyssa before draining the sink and toweling her hands dry. "An' sometimes I could swear you do it on purpose, just to irritate him."

Biting back a laugh, Lyssa carefully placed the last cup on the rack. "That sounds like something I'd do," she admitted.

"He never really gets mad at you, though," Rose said, watching her carefully. "He's gotten mad at me before, and rightfully so, an' lots of other people, like Adam, and uh, other people you haven't met yet, but I don't think I've ever really seen him be truly mad at you."

"Oh," Lyssa blinked, not quite sure what to do with this knowledge.

"I'm just telling you this so that you feel free to go ahead and tease him all you want," Rose said reassuringly. "And, I might have another reason in mind, but that's a spoiler, so..." she trailed off teasingly.

Lyssa raised an eyebrow. "I think I'm already beginning to understand his hatred of that word," she remarked.

Rose grinned. "Now come on, we need to go get ready to see Elvis!"

"Why not?" Lyssa asked rhetorically. "But would you mind leading the way, Miss Tyler? I'm afraid I have not yet had the chance to peruse the room that I believe you call, 'The Wardrobe.'"

"Of course, Miss Devons," the blonde agreed. "Let us go, for adventure awaits!"

* * *

 **A/N: I know it's a bit late, but my prayers go out to everyone who lost someone on that horrific day 16yrs. ago. May we never forget it.**

 **Huge thanks to everyone who favorited and followed, and shout-out to MageVicky, LoveandAngst, and bwburke94 for reviewing. It was so nice reading them all!**

 **And yes, as bwburke94 pointed out, it was heavily implied in either Silence in the Library, or Forest of the Dead that Picnic at Asgard was with Ten. However, River Song also asked him if he had done Crash of the Byzantium, which we all know was with Eleven. So, I figured that I had a bit of wiggle room. But, if it's any consolation, if I end up covering the Bone Meadows, then that will most likely be with Ten.**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I do not own BBC's Doctor Who... yet. I'm working on it.**


	5. Chapter 5 - The Idiot's Lantern, Part 1

"I can't believe he just goes around with practically a drawer full of odds and ends in just one pocket!" Lyssa exclaimed, stepping out of the TARDIS in a light blue circle dress, covered with white dots and a black sash, and a high ponytail tied in ribbon.

"Yeah. It's a bit weird at first, but you'll get used to it," Rose reassured her, following in a pink circle dress with a jean jacket. "But I thought we were going for the Vegas era. You know, the white flares and the, grr, chest hair," she mock-growled, turning to the Doctor somewhere behind them.

"You are kidding, aren't you?" the Doctor called, still in the TARDIS. "You want to see Elvis, you go for the late fifties. The time before burgers. When they called him the Pelvis and he still had a waist. What's more, you see him in style," he added, driving a motorcycle with a small sidecar attached out of the TARDIS, hair slicked back."You going my way, dolls?" he asked in a sleazy American accent, helmet and shades on.

"Is there any other way to go, daddy-O? Straight from the fridge, man," Rose retorted in another variation of the accent, grinning.

"Hey, you speak the lingo!" the Doctor said excitedly.

Lyssa rolled her eyes. "You guys do realize that that's not how most Americans talk, right? Especially considering that _I'm_ American?" The Doctor and Rose just laughed.

"Mum was a big Cliff Richards fan. Used to watch them with her every Friday," Rose declared.

"I'd never even heard of Cliff Richards before you two," Lyssa muttered.

"You're missing out," Rose told her smartly, climbing into the side car.

"Oh, did you want me to take that?" Lyssa asked awkwardly. "I was gonna - I can ride in the side car, if you want."

Rose shook her head, looking absurdly amused about something while putting her hot pink helmet on. "Nope. Besides, I've never gotten to ride in a side car before, so it should be fun."

"All right," Lyssa conceded, carefully climbing on behind the Doctor and pulling on a pale blue helmet.

"You ready?" He asked, revving the motor.

"Yeah," the girls called, Lyssa carefully placing her hands around his waist so as to secure her hold.

"Then let's go!" he cheered, driving off down the street.

"So, where are we off to?" Rose asked a few minutes later.

"Ed Sullivan TV Studios. Elvis did Hound Dog on one of the shows. There were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it," the Doctor answered.

"And that'll be the TV studios in, what, New York?" Rose asked, looking around, raising an eyebrow at all the British flags waving in the air.

"That's the one!" He agreed, just as a red London bus turned the corner.

"Yeah, digging that New York vibe," Rose teased him.

"Well, this could still be New York. I mean, this looks very New York to me. Sort of Londony New York, mind," he tried to cover.

"What are all the flags for?" Rose asked, eyeing the flags hanging everywhere in the streets.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out soon," Lyssa said with a smile.

"You know what it is, don't you!" Rose accused her.

She shrugged innocently. "I may or may not have figured out what's going on here once I saw you two in your outfits."

"Never mind her, then. We'll just ask this nice old man over here," the Doctor said, pulling to a stop by an old man who was delivering a television set out of a truck marked, 'Magpie's Electrical Shop.'

"There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion," the old man told his customer before turning to the Doctor.

"The great occasion? What do you mean?" the Doctor asked cluelessly.

Magpie looked at him incredulously. "Where've you been living, out in the Colonies? Coronation, of course."

"What coronation's that, then?" the Doctor tried to clarify, Lyssa giggling helplessly behind him.

"What do you mean? _The_ coronation," Magpie emphasized.

"Sorry, sir. He's a bit out of it, at times," Lyssa explained, trying to cover up her giggles, making the Doctor throw her a look over his shoulder.

"It's the Queen's. Queen Elizabeth's coronation," Rose realized.

"Oh! Is this 1953?" The Doctor asked.

"Last time I looked. Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best," the old man said confidently.

Looking around her, Rose frowned and commented, "Look at all the TV aerials. Looks like everyone's got one. That's weird. My nan said tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house."

"Not around here, love. Magpie's Marvelous Tellies, only five quid a pop," Magpie said proudly.

"Oh, but this is a brilliant year. Classic! Technicolor, Everest climbed, everything off the ration. The nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future," the Doctor proclaimed.

"Someone help me, please! Ted!" A women screamed. Turning to look, they all saw two burly men in suits pushing a man with a blanket over his head into the back of a car. "Leave him alone! He's my husband, please!" the woman begged, sobbing.

"What's going on?" the Doctor demanded, running over with Rose and Lyssa in tow.

A young boy ran out of the house behind them. "Oi, what are you doing?" he cried.

"Police business. Now get out of the way, sir," one of the men in black ordered.

"Who did they take? Do you know him?" Rose asked the young boy.

He nodded. "Must be Mr. Gallagher. It's happening all over the place, people turning into monsters," he added, watching the car speed away from the curb.

"Tommy! Not one word! Get in here, now!" an angry man shouted, making them all jump.

The boy turned back to them. "Sorry, better do as he says," he explained before running back inside the house.

The trio looked at each other before running back to the motorcycle, hopping on and taking off after the car. "All aboard!" the Doctor called.

"Present!" Lyssa mocked, clutching his waist tightly as they sped off. Making a tight turn, they came upon a dead-end, with a market stall in front of a large gate.

"Lost them. How'd they get away from us?" the Doctor asked, surprised. Lyssa bit her lip, not sure if she should say anything or not, still hesitant about changing things.

"I'm surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you for reckless driving. Have you actually passed your test?" Rose grumbled.

The Doctor ignored her. "Men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia."

Rose sighed. "Monsters, that boy said. Maybe we should go and ask the neighbors," she suggested.

"That's what I like about you. The domestic approach. Hang tight!" He ordered, turning around.

"Hold on, was that an insult?" Rose demanded. The Doctor didn't answer, but Lyssa caught Rose's eye and mouthed the word 'oblivious' to her, making her laugh and nod. Pulling up to the house they had seen before, the Doctor stopped the bike and hopped off, holding out a hand to help Lyssa off the bike.

"Thanks," she nodded, pulling off the helmet and smoothing out her hair.

"So, what's the plan?" Rose asked, stepping up besides them and brushing her hair back.

"Now, we talk to the locals," the Doctor said with a grin. "Come on, then." He walked up to the front door, followed by the girls, and rang the doorbell. There was a bit of commotion inside, before the door swung open and a middle-aged man stood before them.

"Hi!" the Doctor and Rose chimed in unison, Lyssa standing awkwardly behind them.

"Who are you, then?" the man demanded.

"Let's see, then. Judging by the look of you, family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore I represent Queen and country," the Doctor rattled off quickly, holding up the psychic paper. "Just doing a little check of Her forthcoming Majesty's subjects before the great day. Don't mind if I come in? Nah, I didn't think you did. Thank you," he finished, pushing past the flummoxed man and stepping into the living room, where an older woman and the boy from earlier were sitting. Looking around, the Doctor nodded his head and said, "Not bad. Very nice. Very well kept. I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs...?"

"Connolly," the woman said hastily.

"Now then, Rita. I can handle this. This gentleman's a proper representative. Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit," Mr. Connolly blustered. Lyssa bit her tongue, trying to keep from saying anything angry that could get them thrown out.

"Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more. I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty. Nice flags. Why are they not flying?" the Doctor asked, a more sober look on his face.

"There we are Rita, I told you, Get them up. Queen and country," Mr. Connolly told his wife self-importantly. Lyssa narrowed her eyes, noticing Rose was quite disgusted by his behavior as well, but kept quiet.

"I'm sorry," his wife apologized, but her husband ignored her.

"Get them up, then. Do it now," he ordered.

"Hold on a minute," the Doctor objected. "You've got hands, Mister Connolly. Two big hands. So why is that your wife's job?"

"Well, it's housework, isn't it?" he retorted.

"And, that's a woman's job?" the Doctor tried to clarify, making Lyssa hide a smile.

"Of course it is," the big man answered.

"Mr. Connolly, what gender is the Queen?" the Doctor asked innocently.

"She's a female," Mr. Connolly told him, looking at him like he was touched in the head.

"And are you suggesting that the Queen does the housework?" the Doctor continued.

Mr. Connolly suddenly realized his mistake. "No, not at all."

"Then get busy," the Doctor told him bluntly.

"Right. Yes, sir. You'll be proud of us, sir. We'll have Union Jacks left, right and center," he said quickly, gathering up the flags and beginning to pin them to the wall.

"Excuse me, Mister Connolly. Hang on a minute. Union Jacks?" Rose repeated.

"Yes, that's right, isn't it?" he asked nervously.

"That's the Union flag, it's only the Union Jack when it's flown at sea. Even I know that, and I'm from the 'Colonies'," Lyssa interjected.

The Doctor coughed and muttered to her, "The only reason you know that is the same way you know everything else about what's going to happen, don't you?"

She hid a smile. "Maybe."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I do apologize," Mr. Connolly was saying.

"Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man. Now get to it!" The Doctor ordered.

"Mum went out with a sailor when I was ten," Rose confided to them.

The Doctor laughed. "I bet she did. Anyways, I'm the Doctor, this is Rose, and the quiet one over there is Lyssa," he said, pointing at Lyssa. "And you are?" he asked the boy.

"Tommy," the boy answered, shifting on one foot nervously.

"Well, sit yourself down, Tommy. Have a look at this. I love telly, don't you?"

Tommy nodded, squeezing himself onto the couch next to the others. "I think it's brilliant."

"Good man," the Doctor grinned. "Keep up the good work, Mr. C. Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Did you say you were a doctor?" Rita asked timidly.

The Doctor nodded seriously, sensing the need behind the question. "Yes, I am."

"Can you help her? Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?" Rita begged.

"Now then, Rita. I don't think the gentleman needs to know," Mr. Connolly interjected, looking quite put-out.

"Yes, the gentleman does," the Doctor contradicted firmly.

"Tell us what's wrong, and we can help," Rose added. The last statement appeared to be the straw that broke the camel's back, making Rita give in and burst into tears. "I'm sorry," Rose said, getting up and giving her a hug. "It's all right. Come here, it's okay."

"Hold on a minute. Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house! What the -?" Mr. Connolly demanded, throwing the bunting down. "What the heck am I doing? Now you listen here, Doctor. You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business."

"A lot of people are being bundled into-" the Doctor began, only to be interrupted by Mr. Connolly again.

"I. Am. Talking!" he blustered.

"And I'm not listening!" the Doctor shouted back, losing his patience. "Now you, Mr. Connolly, you are staring into a deep, dark pit of trouble if you don't let me help. So I'm ordering you, sir! Tell me what's going on!" Three slow, rhythmic thumps sounded above them, making them all stop and look at the ceiling.

"She won't stop. She never stops," Mr. Connolly said despairingly.

"We started hearing stories, all round the place. People who've changed. Families keeping it secret because they were scared. Then the police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just turn up, come to the door and take them, any time of the day or night," Tommy said quietly. Lyssa bit her lip, moving to stand next to him, wishing she could tell him his grandmother would be okay.

"Show me," the Doctor said quietly, still watching the ceiling.

Mr. Connolly sighed, then nodded, leading them through a doorway, to a set of stairs leading up to a hallway. Stopping outside a closed door, he fiddled with the knob for a minute before opening the door to a darkened room.

"Gran? It's Tommy. It's all right, Gran. I've brought help," Tommy called, flipping on the light switch. In front of them stood an old woman, with no eyes, nose, or mouth, occasionally thumping her cane onto the ground.

"Her face is completely gone," the Doctor said in horrified awe, pulling out his screwdriver and scanning her face. "Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown. She's ticking over. It's like her brain has been wiped clean," he breathed.

"What're we going to do, Doctor? We can't even feed her," Tommy said desperately.

A loud crash from downstairs grabbed their attention, as they heard the front door being kicked in. "We've got company," Rose said, darting to the window, and spying a black car that hadn't been there a few minutes ago.

"It's them! They've come for her!" Rita wailed.

"Quickly. What was she doing before this happened? Where was she? Tell me. Quickly, think!" The Doctor ordered.

"I can't think! She doesn't leave the house! She was just-" Tommy stammered, getting pushed to the side as three burly men in black suits burst into the room.

"Hold on a minute. There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One -" The Doctor never got to finish his list, as one of the agents punched him, knocking him out and sending him to the floor while the other agents threw a blanket over the old lady's head and bundled her out the door and down the stairs.

"Doctor!" Rose cried, kneeling by his side, Lyssa beside her, looking at him worriedly.

"Leave her alone! No!" Rita begged, following the men down the stairs. "Don't hurt her!"

"Doctor!" Rose said again, bending over him, and jerking back a moment later as he suddenly sat upright, nearly headbutting her.

"Ah, heck of a right hook!" he said, cracking his jaw. "I'll have to watch out for that. Come on, then! After them!" he cried, darting down the stairs, Rose and Lyssa following close behind. "Come on, girls!" He shouted, running towards the front door, Lyssa stopping behind Rose as she suddenly halted and stared at the TV.

"What is it?" she asked.

Rose frowned. "I don't know," she muttered, kneeling by the TV and looking behind it.

"We're going to lose them again!" the Doctor's voice called back to them, followed shortly thereafter by the sound of a motor revving.

"Aaaand, he's driven off without us," Lyssa said, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, how did they find her? Who told them?" Tommy asked, upset.

Mr. Connolly came storming back inside. "You! Out of my house!" he shouted, waving his hand at them.

"I'm going. I'm done. Nice to meet you, Tommy, Mrs. Connolly. And as for you, Mr. Connolly, only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside down. Shame on you!" Rose declared, her eyes starting to glow a fierce golden color as she glared at him, making him step back in shock before she marched confidently out of the house, her eyes reverting to their normal color as she did so.

Lyssa followed close behind her, only stopping once besides Mr. Connolly to tell him in a low, harsh voice, "I know exactly what you did. And let me tell you, you are a disgraceful excuse for a human being!" Her words ended in a hiss as she stomped out to follow Rose, who was waiting for her on the sidewalk outside.

"Well, the Doctor's gone," Rose said flatly, looking around.

Lyssa nodded. "He's gone off to get himself into trouble."

"Sounds like usual, then. Now, what are we supposed to do?"

"Well, what did you see?" Lyssa asked her.

Rose frowned, thinking it over. "I saw this weird sort of red electricity coming out of the telly and goin' up the aerial, before disappearing. Don't know where that could get us, though."

"Well, what if it was something about the TV itself?" Lyssa suggested. "Do you know what brand it is?"

Rose's eyes lit up in realization and satisfaction. "I think I know exactly where to start. Follow me!" she cried, darting down the street.

"Oh, not you, too," Lyssa groaned, reluctantly following after her at a jogging pace. "I've only been here like three days, and I'm already sick of the running."

xXx

"Magpie's Electricals," Lyssa read aloud from the store sign. "Good job, Rose."

The blonde smiled, but shrugged it off. "You helped me figure it out. And that reminds me," she said, turning to the brunette. "How come you've been so quiet today? You've hardly said a word outside of the TARDIS."

Lyssa blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, you know how I know things, right? I'm still really new at this, and I'm afraid of what I can and cannot do. I'm afraid that I might mess up time badly, or make things worse if I try to change them."

Rose slung an arm around her shoulders consolingly. "Don't worry. You'll figure it out soon enough, promise. Besides. You always have some sort of 'sense' as to what can be changed, and what has to stay the same. So, try to help out if you can, but if you get a really bad feeling about something, then let it alone," she suggested.

"Thanks," Lyssa said, giving the blonde a genuine smile. "Now, what do you say that we check out his shop?"

Rose gave her signature tongue in teeth grin. "Sounds like a plan to me," she said cheerfully, pulling open the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss. I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door," Magpie said, coming out from behind the counter.

"Yeah? Well, I want to buy a telly, " Rose said firmly.

"Come back tomorrow, please," Magpie told her.

"You'll be closed, won't you?" Rose asked him.

"Eh? What?" he asked, confused.

Rose looked at him like he was an idiot. "For the big day? The coronation?"

"Yes, yes, of course. The big day. I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go," Magpie said, a pleading tone entering his voice.

"Seems to me half of London's got a television, since you're practically giving them away," Rose said uncaringly, looking at the row of televisions on the wall by the counter.

"I have my reasons," Magpie said gruffly, not looking either of them in the eye.

"And what are they?" Lyssa asked, speaking up for the first time and making him look at her in surprise.

A woman's face appeared on one of the screens. " _Hungry! Hungry!_ " she shrilled.

"What's that?" Rose asked, confused, while Lyssa edged herself ever so slightly further away from the screen, out of its line of sight.

"It's just a television. One of these modern programs. Now, I really do think you should leave. Right now!" Magpie insisted desperately.

"Not until you've answered my questions. How come your televisions are so cheap?"Rose countered.

"It's my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud. Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching. Imagine that. And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh, so why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early for the big day," he tried again.

"Nah, I'm not leaving till I've seen everything." Rose stated firmly. Lyssa chewed her lip, trying to stay out of the conversation while she figured out what she should do. On the one hand, if she saved Rose, they could continue to help the Doctor. But on the other hand, it was her being in danger that had motivated the Doctor to fight so hard to defeat the Wire. She groaned mentally.

"I need to close," Magpie was saying.

"Mr. Magpie, something's happening out there. Ordinary people are being struck down and changed, and the only new thing in the house is a television. Your television. What's going on?" Rose demanded.

Magpie sighed, walking to the door and locking it. "I knew this would happen. I knew I'd be found out," he said heavily.

"All right, then, it's just us. You going to come clean, then? What's really in it for you?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"For me? Perhaps some peace," he answered quietly.

"From what?" Rose asked, confused.

"From her." Magpie pointed at the woman on the screen from earlier, a typical newscaster at her desk.

"That's just a woman on the telly. That's just a program," she told him disbelievingly.

" _What a pretty little girl,_ " the newscaster said suddenly, startling all three of them.

"Oh my gosh. Are you talking to me?" Rose asked, eyes wide.

" _Yes I'm talking to you, little one. Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?_ " The woman asked, a smug air about her.

"What are you?" Rose asked, staring at the screen in shock. Lyssa swallowed hard, her heart racing, thoughts flying about furiously. She had to let this happen. She couldn't disrupt the timeline, not without knowing what might result from it. Rose would be all right in the end if things stayed the same, but she could be seriously hurt if she tried to change things without knowing what she was doing.

" _I'm the Wire. And I'm hungry!_ " The woman ended the words in a shriek, red electricity arcing from the television sets to Rose's face.

"Someone, help me!" Rose pleaded in a panic, her face being sucked off by the Wire.

"Just think of that audience tomorrow, my dear, all settling down to watch the coronation. Twenty million people. Things will never be the same again. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Magpie said sadly.

Lyssa couldn't take it anymore. Timeline or not, she couldn't just stand by and watch. Launching herself forward from her relatively forgotten spot, she grabbed Rose's arm and began tugging desperately on it. "Come on, Mr. Magpie, help me!" she cried. "If you help me save her, the Doctor can help you, I promise! Just please, help me!" she begged, trying but failing to pull Rose away from the flickering tendrils of energy.

" _Stop her!_ " the Wire hissed. She was gathering her strength for one last desperate tug, when she felt something crash down on her head, and pain exploded in her head. Letting go of Rose in surprise, she felt something hit her again. Sinking to her knees, she fell slowly to the side, her head hitting the floor with a thud.

Through her dimming eyes, she saw the red energy retreat from Rose and return to the screen, and vaguely wondered what that meant. Distantly, she heard a thud, and someone saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this. But you wouldn't leave! She promised me my face!"

Letting her eyes fall shut, she felt her consciousness drift away and let the darkness take her.

* * *

 **A/N: WARNING: Long explanatory author's note ahead!**

 **So, chapter 5 is now up! I followed the script pretty closely for this one, trying to get my feel for things. Hopefully it gets better in the next few chapters.**

 **And I suppose I might as well put this out there now, but...I'm planning on making this a happy story over all. So no drama/intense fighting/tragedies. We all know that this is going to be a romance, but I'm not going to have my OC spend the next 60+ chapters thinking that the Doctor and River love each** **other before she finally realizes that she loves him, while deciding that she's not going to get in their way, etc.**

 **I've read many amazing stories like that, but that's not where I want to take this story. The Doctor will very much be in love with her, and while he won't push her, he's not going to let her delude herself into thinking things that aren't true like that. The same with River. I have my own plans for her, but she will also be setting Lyssa straight at the earliest opportunity.**

 **Nor will there be intense hatred between characters like Nine and the OC. Like I said, he loves her, and while this is not a self-insert, Lyssa is going to be non-confrontational like me - aka, not inclined to getting into fights with the people she cares about. That being said, while I am a romantic and an optimist, there will be conflicts. The only difference is that she and the Doctor will be facing them together, as a team. Hopefully everyone's okay with that. :)**

 **Now, onto the more important stuff: Oh. My. Gosh, you guys. There are now over 1,000 views on my story, 18 favorites, and 34 follows for the first four chapters! AND this story has been added to two communities! I can't believe it! Thank you all so much, you have no idea how I appreciate you all! And shout-out to MageVicky and Guest for reviewing! It's always nice hearing from you all, whether it's a review, favorite, or follow.**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **Script comes from chakotey. net, and transcripts. foreverdreaming . org (minus spaces)**


	6. Chapter 6 - The Idiot's Lantern, Part 2

The sound of groaning and struggling slowly pulled Lyssa back to consciousness. Flickering her eyes open, she immediately shut them, head pounding, and tried to go back to sleep. But it was no good. Some inconsiderate person was talking very loudly and making her headache worse.

"Tommy! Tommy, wake up!"

"What happened?" a younger voice asked groggily.

"Where's Magpie?" the first voice asked, the word Magpie bringing some vague memory to life before it vanished like a puff of wind. There was some muted talking, before the front door slammed, making her wince and groan slightly, but be grateful for the silence that followed. Starting to drift off again, she was roused once more by the door opening, and footsteps pounding along the floor.

Hoping they'd go away, she tried to curl into a ball, but felt too weak and decided it was better to stay where she was. But she had no such luck, as the footsteps seemed to come even closer to her, rummaging around in drawers and banging metal objects together. They moved a few more steps, then stopped suddenly.

"Doctor! It's the girl you were with earlier! I think she's hurt!" the younger voice called out, making her moan weakly as the noise seemed to echo in her head.

"What?" the first voice called out incredulously, before the sound of racing footsteps came their way, coming to a halt by the first pair. "Lyssa!" he exclaimed, placing a hand on her shoulder and trying to turn her onto her back. She groaned again, managing to roll onto her back and pry her eyes open enough to make out a blurry face above her. Blinking harder as she became more alert and wincing in the light, the face soon came into focus enough for her to make out the Tenth Doctor bending over her, looking very concerned.

"Doctor?" she asked groggily.

He let out a breath of relief. "Lyssa! Thank goodness you're here. I've been looking all over for you!"

She blinked tiredly at him. "Sorry. Guess I decided to take a nap here. Where is here, by the way?" she asked slowly, starting to turn her head, only to have to stop when the pounding in her head switched to jackhammers.

"Headache?" the Doctor asked, looking her over carefully.

She started to nod, but thought better of it, and settled for saying, "Yeah. What happened?"

The Doctor scowled, gently placing his hands on the sides of her head and examining her. "I don't know. The men in black turned out to be a branch of the government. They found Rose, faceless, and brought her to their holding cell with all the rest of the people they've taken. But no one had seen any sign of you. We managed to trace the source back here, but were attacked by the Wire. We were in the middle of building something to help us catch her when Tommy found you. Now, do you think you can sit up?"

Lyssa thought about it. "Maybe. If I take it slow."

The Doctor nodded, placing one hand behind her head and gently helping her to sit up against the wall.

Looking around carefully without moving her head, she realized that she was behind a desk. "Where am I?" she asked again.

He frowned. "Do you not know?"

She shook her head slowly, wincing as the pain increased again. "Sorry. Can I sleep now? I'm really tired."

The Doctor hesitated. "Lyssa, I'm gonna take a look at your head, all right? And you tell me what you remember."

She shrugged slightly, blinking sleepily. "Okay, I guess." He nodded once before gently placing his fingers at her temples and studying it intently. Lyssa thought hard, trying to remember.

"Uh, we were in the TARDIS, with Rose, then we wanted to see, erm, Elvis, but we ended up here somehow," she said haltingly, feeling her headache lessen, and her thoughts becoming more clear. "Then we saw Mr. Magpie, with the TV's, and the poor old grandmother missing a face, and, and, and - oh my gosh, Rose!" she nearly shouted, sitting up straight as a vision of Rose being attacked by the Wire popped into her mind.

"Shush, it's all right. We know what happened to Rose, we've found her, and we're working on saving her," the Doctor reassured her, removing his hands from Lyssa's head, but not before she caught a glimpse of golden light. "How does your head feel now?" he asked her.

She frowned in confusion. "Fine. It doesn't even hurt at all now." She paused as the dots connected in her head. "Hang on, did you use regeneration energy on me?"

The Doctor stood up, ignoring her question. "Tommy, did you find what I sent you for yet?"

"Yeah, is this what you want?" Tommy asked, holding up a big valve.

"Perfect, just hold onto that for a second, I just need to grab something from the TARDIS," the Doctor said, running out the door.

"Are you all right, Miss Lyssa?" Tommy asked, looking down at her with a confused and slightly concerned expression.

She laughed ruefully, getting to her feet. "I'm fine, thank you, Tommy. The Doctor made sure that I am just fine, although he's not getting away with wasting regeneration energy on me."

Tommy shook his head. "If you don't mind my saying so, you're all rather strange."

She smiled. "But it's a good strange, isn't it?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Tommy! Lyssa! I got it, let's go!" the Doctor shouted to them from outside the building.

Lyssa closed her eyes and groaned. "More running. All right. Let's go," she grumbled. Tommy laughed, following her outside the building to where the Doctor was pacing back and forth impatiently, fiddling with a contraption in his hand.

"Come on! The coronation will be starting soon!" he exclaimed impatiently. Running down the streets, the Doctor in the lead and simultaneously working on the object in his hands, they stopped outside a gated area being filled with people. "This is it," the Doctor announced. "He's got to be around here somewhere."

"There!" Tommy cried, pointing at a tall mast, where Magpie could be seen climbing it, carrying a portable television in his hands.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted.

"Wait, wait, wait. Where do you think you're going?" a guard challenged them, a hand held up to block their progress. The Doctor sighed and held up the psychic paper. "Oh! I'm very sorry, sir. Shouldn't you be at the coronation?" the guard asked in a much politer tone.

"They're saving a seat for me," he said impatiently, pushing past the guard.

"Who did he think you were?" Tommy asked curiously.

"The King of Belgium," Lyssa said nonchalantly.

The Doctor glanced down at the paper. "Don't forget the Queen."

"Queen?" Lyssa asked, wrinkling her brow. "Well, that's new."

"Hold on, how did she know that if you didn't know until you looked at the paper? She never even saw it," Tommy pointed out.

The Doctor winked at him. "Oh, Lyssa's talented like that. You get to know her long enough, you stop asking. She never properly answers."

He walked up to a door. "All right. Control room's in here." Placing the contraption on a table in the small room, he turned to Tommy and said seriously, "Keep this switched on. Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. You understand?" Tommy nodded. The Doctor turned to Lyssa. "Lyssa, stay with him. Make sure that switch stays on."

"Doctor, I should come with you, I can help," she objected.

He shook his head. "I'm going to be doing some climbing. And with your hand in a cast the way it is, you won't be able to. Best if you stay here."

She nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But, try and get Magpie off the mast and away from the Wire. And be careful! She can shock you from a distance."

He nodded, unfurling a coil of copper wire, and connecting one end to the contraption on the table. "Right then. Hopefully, this works. It'll be awfully embarrassing if it doesn't," he grinned, running out the door and leaving Lyssa and Tommy alone in the room.

"So, uh, if you don't mind my asking, what happened to your hand?" Tommy asked awkwardly after a minute.

Lyssa looked down at the cast encasing her left hand. "Long story short, I got in a bit of an accident a few days back, hurt my hand. The Doctor was able to heal most of it, but I've still got to wear the cast for a few days until it's completely healed." She looked around the room at all the switches and gears everywhere. "Do you know, I've never actually been in one of these before? A control room? I've seen pictures, and read about them all the time, but I never actually thought I'd be in one," she commented.

"No, me neither," Tommy replied. "But I think today is just the kind of day for firsts."

She grinned. "I've definitely had a lot today, as well. And most of them, I never thought were even possible. But I guess, that's life with the Doctor for you, redefining life as you know it. Usually for the better."

"Do you have -" The valves in the contraption on the table suddenly sputtered, then blew out, stopping Tommy from finishing his sentence. Rushing to the table, they both looked it over frantically. "What's wrong with it?" Tommy asked.

"I don't know. But I think the valve needs to be replaced for it to work. Quick, look around the room, see if you can find one!" Lyssa ordered, Pushing through boxes on shelves in the room, they searched for a replacement valve.

"Got one!" Tommy shouted triumphantly after a tense minute. Darting back to the table, he plugged the valve in expectantly. They didn't have long to wait, as red electricity soon began sparking around the contraption, flickering back and forth.

"It's working!" Lyssa cheered, hugging Tommy excitedly. He laughed, hugging her back.

xXx

"So, what have I missed?" the Doctor asked, strolling triumphantly into the room a few minutes later, the portable TV under his arm.

"Doctor! What happened?" Tommy demanded eagerly.

"Sorted. Electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien life form. That's me by the way. I turned the receiver back into a transmitter and I trapped the Wire in here," he said, tapping the screen.

"You just created the home video thirty years early, Doctor," Lyssa said, grinning. "So much for no spoilers."

He just grinned back at her. "Betamax. Gotta love it. Oh!" He added, noticing the TV on the end of the wall, where the coronation ceremony was ending. "God save the Queen, eh?" He said proudly, wrapping an arm around Lyssa's shoulders.

She laughed. "I'm American, Mister. But I suppose the occasion does warrant it. God save the Queen!" she repeated merrily.

xXx

Back on the street outside Tommy's house, there was a large crowd of people milling around and greeting each other excitedly. "Gran!" Tommy shouted happily, spotting his grandmother in the crowd, face now restored. Lyssa smiled, watching them hug.

"Do you see Rose, anywhere?" the Doctor asked, scanning the crowd. Lyssa raised her eyes and spotted Rose at the exact moment she turned their way. Grins breaking out on all of their faces, they started running towards each other, Rose giving first the Doctor, then Lyssa, hard hugs.

"I am so glad to see you two!" she exclaimed. "I woke up in this cell room, with a whole bunch of other people, then some officer came and released us here, but I couldn't see you anywhere. I'm guessing you fixed it then?"

"Yep!" Lyssa said proudly, linking arms with both of them. "Now, there's festivities going on further down the street, and I don't know about you, but I'm fairly hungry. What say we go and get some cake?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Rose said happily.

"We could go down the mall, join in with the crowd," Rose suggested a few minutes later, cupcake in hand.

"Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance. This is history right here," the Doctor insisted, eating his cupcake eagerly.

"Ah, the domestic approach," Rose said, nodding her head knowingly.

"Exactly!" Lyssa agreed with her, making them all laugh.

"Will it... that thing... is it trapped for good, on video?" Rose asked hesitantly.

"Hope so. Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivaled knowledge of trans-temporal extirpation methods to neutralize the residual electronic pattern," the Doctor spouted off.

"You what?" Rose asked, confused.

"He's gonna tape over it," Lyssa said plainly, making the Doctor pout.

Rose laughed. "Oh, just leave that to me. I'm always taping over things."

Tommy walked up to them, finishing the last bite of a cupcake.

"Tell you what Tommy, you can have the bike. Little present. Best... um... keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?" the Doctor told him, indicating the bike behind him.

"Wait! Before you do, I want a picture of the three of us in our outfits!" Lyssa said, reaching for her phone only to remember that hers was somewhere in the other universe. "Uh, does someone have a camera?" she asked the others apologetically.

"Hold on," the Doctor grunted, reaching his hand into his pocket. "I think I have one in here somewhere," he trailed off, his arm now up to his elbow in the pocket. "Got it!" he exclaimed triumphantly, pulling out a small, silver camera. "This'll work, right?"

Lyssa nodded, handing it to Tommy. "Could you take a picture of us, please, Tommy? Just push the button on top to capture the image," she told him.

He nodded, staring at the camera curiously. "I've never seen a version quite like this before."

The Doctor grinned. "I would think not. Now, where did you want the picture of us, Lyssa?"

"Can we just get the three of us in front of the bike?" Lyssa asked. "I really like my room, but it's so empty right now, and I've always wanted a room filled with pictures of happy memories."

"Sounds great to me," Rose said. "I'd like to get one of us, too." They lined up in front of the motorcycle, the Doctor in the middle, leaning against the motorcycle, and the girls leaning against him. "Press the button anytime you want, Tommy," Rose called. "Whenever you're ready."

He nodded, holding up the camera and adjusting it several times before pressing the button. "I think I got it?" he said uncertainly. "I've never really used one of these, before."

Lyssa took the camera from him and examined the picture. "Looks fine to me. And on your first try, too. Congratulations, not every one can do that. And it's a great picture, thank you," she said, showing the picture to the Doctor and Rose, who voiced their agreement.

"I'll just take that," the Doctor said, taking the camera and putting it back in his pocket. "The TARDIS can reconstruct the picture from your memories, and I might be needing this camera soon, just in case."

"Sure," Lyssa agreed skeptically. "You're going to take it apart later, and put it back together minus a few parts, aren't you."

He shrugged innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Rose laughed, before looking over Tommy's shoulder. "Say, Tommy. Isn't that your dad?" she asked, pointing out the man walking down the sidewalk, trailing a suitcase behind him, while Rita hugged her mother by their house.

Tommy turned around and nodded, identifying his father. "And good riddance," he said in disgust.

The Doctor eyed him carefully. "Is that it then, Tommy? New monarch, new age, new world, no room for a man like Eddie Connolly."

"That's right. He deserves it," Tommy said, something in his expression belying the harshness of his words.

"Tommy, go after him," Rose said suddenly.

"What for?" Tommy asked indignantly.

"He's your dad," she told him gently.

"He's an idiot," he retorted firmly.

"Course he is, he's your dad. But you're clever. Clever enough to save the world so don't stop there. Go on!" She smiled, giving him a nudge. Convinced, he turned around and ran after his dad, taking his suitcase and walking beside him, talking quietly.

Lyssa smiled. "Clever old Rose," she commented.

"I'd say we were all right clever today," the Doctor said, handing them both a glass of orange juice.

"To cleverness," Rose chuckled, raising her glass.

"To unity," the Doctor added, raising his.

"To family," Lyssa finished quietly, clinking her glass against the others and taking a sip. "Mm, this is really good. 1950's London makes the best orange juice I've ever had," she declared, taking another drink.

"That's because it's probably more natural than any orange juice you've ever had," the Doctor told her, draining his glass in one go.

Lyssa wrinkled her nose, examining her glass. "Sadly enough, I think you're right. It was probably mostly sugar and orange flavoring back home," her thoughts drifted for a minute to back home.

"Should we head back to the TARDIS?" Rose asked, seeing the pensive look on Lyssa's face.

"Yeah, why not?" the Doctor decided carelessly, keeping a close eye on Lyssa.

"Hey, Doctor?" Lyssa asked as they walked back to the TARDIS. "Do you think you could check my arm, and see if we could get this cast off today?"

"Oh, sure," he agreed, pulling the TARDIS key out of his pocket and opening the door. "I'll just send us out into the Vortex, and she can hang out there for a while." Waiting until they were all in the room, he shut the door, and began pulling and flipping levers on the console.

"Doctor, my hands! They're glowing!" Lyssa said incredulously, staring at her hands, now glowing a bright golden color.

"Oh, that's just the time particles in your veins reacting to us moving through the Vortex. It's completely normal, and it should stop once we've become stationary right about... now," he reassured her, spinning one last dial with a flourish. And sure enough, the glow in Lyssa's hands faded as the rotor ceased.

"That's just so weird, though," she said, staring at her hands. "How often do they do that?"

"Not often," the Doctor told her. "Just enough to remind you that it happens. Now, should we go check on your hand?"

"Yes, please. I want to be able to use my hand normally again."

He chuckled. "I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Hey, Rose, want to go swimming afterwards?" she called over to the blonde.

"That'd be a lot of fun, but what 'bout your cast?" Rose asked, gesturing towards the heavy white object encasing her hand. "Aren't they not supposed to get wet?"

"Nah, if I used a bone knitter, and put the cast on, then it should be waterproof," the Doctor said. "The materials used in it are made with much sturdier materials, and will still keep your hand immobile while you swim."

"Sweet," Lyssa grinned. "Can you also check my head? I know I must have banged it pretty hard earlier in Magpie's shop."

"You hit your head?" Rose asked in concern. "Are you all right?"

"Well, I didn't exactly hit my head. At least, I don't think so. The Wire had just attacked you, and I was trying to pull you away, when I felt something hit me hard on the head, twice. That's the last thing I remember before Tommy found me by that desk in his shop," Lyssa explained.

"Most likely story is that Magpie hit you with something to keep you from interfering with the Wire," the Doctor said quietly, walking to the Infirmary.

"And he knocked you out?" Rose gasped. "Oh my goodness, Lyssa, are you sure you're alright?"

Lyssa shrugged. "The Doctor checked on my head there, managed to fix it up, but either way, we're still going to the Infirmary right now to get my hand checked out, might as well get my head checked out too."

"Now, there's some words I never thought I'd hear you say," the Doctor teased, walking into the Infirmary. "Also, would you mind just hopping up on that bed there?" he asked, indicating the examination bed in the middle of the room. Lyssa clambered up and sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her feet as the Doctor turned on a few machines and brought a small, hand-held device over to the bed.

Running it over her left hand, he stared at the screen on the device for a minute before looking up. "Looks like everything's healing well. I don't know how bad it was at the start, but there's minimal damage now. Should be able to take off the cast tomorrow night. If you're still here, just ask me, and I'll take it off."

" _If_ I'm still here?" Lyssa repeated as he began to scan her head. "How often do I... jump, or whatever?"

"Hard to say. It varies each time," the Doctor said, pressing a few buttons on the scanner. "Sometimes it's just a day or two, other times, it could be weeks or months, or even longer. There's just no real way of predicting how long you'll stay before jumping again. Hop down, I've finished the scan."

"Well, Doctor, what's the verdict? Will I live?" Lyssa asked with a grin, hopping down from the table.

He raised an eyebrow at her, putting the scanners away. "So long as you avoid any more whacks to the head, you should be fine. You should try to avoid them anyways. Jeopardy-friendly, the both of you," he scolded, including Rose in his statement.

"Spoilers, Doctor. I've only met you the two times. Although, to be fair, I was nearly killed the first time I met you, and I nearly brained myself on my second visit, so I guess you have a point. Never mind, then. Changing the subject; Rose, do you want to go swimming now?" Lyssa asked quickly.

Rose blinked, but agreed. "Sure! Are you comin', Doctor?"

He waved a hand in the air vaguely, fiddling with the monitors. "Maybe, but I make no promises," he warned.

Lyssa shrugged. "Close enough. Let's go change, I got rather hot out there in this dress, and I really want to try the swimming pool."

"It's a lot of fun," Rose told her. "Come on, I'll show you where the swimsuits are in the wardrobe."

Ten minutes and one accidental visit to the anti-gravity room later, they had changed into their swimsuits and were on their way to the pool room. "So, what's your favorite part?" Lyssa asked, wearing a purple one piece with a black skirt.

"The hot tub's probably my favorite part," Rose confided. "I love just soaking up the heat, and what's really nice is, although the water's clean, it never bleaches my swimsuits. Back home, whenever I got to use a hot tub, the chlorine, or somethin' in the water would always fade the color in my swimsuits."

"Oh, I hated that," Lyssa agreed. "But that red color looks really good on you."

"Thanks," Rose smiled. "Oh, by the way, I was wondering. What really happened before this? I mean, I get that it's in the future, and all that, but what really happened?"

Lyssa hesitated. "Well, I mean, I guess it was way in the future, so it'd be safe to tell you, but you have to promise not to tell the Doctor. It's all in his future, still."

Rose nodded easily. "I promise."

"All right, then," Lyssa started. "After I landed in the TARDIS the first time, I was scared and confused, and my hand was broken. One of the Doctor's future friends found me, and tried to help me. It just scared me even more, 'cause I didn't think he was real at first, and thought I was hallucinating, or being tricked, or something. Then the Doctor came down and made it even worse."

Rose furrowed her brow. "How so?"

Lyssa shrugged uncomfortably. "Because he's the one I know the most about, and I never believed that it was real. So I thought it was some sort of trap, and when I got near the doors, I made a break for it, and tried to jump out."

Rose gasped. "Oh my gosh. And you're okay?"

Lyssa nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Thankfully the Doctor caught me, just before I jumped out into space. Then I passed out dramatically into his arms, and slept for the next two days. Then he gave me a tour of the TARDIS, and took me to the planet Asgard for a picnic. We met another friend there, had a lovely little picnic, then we went shopping, where the Doctor managed to anger some of the merchants around two hours in."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Typical. He actually made it pretty far, though. Most of the time, he only lasts a couple of minutes."

"Just wait. He can do it in seconds if he tries," Lyssa snickered. "But anyways, we were trying to escape, and were almost to the TARDIS, when one of the aliens, who had camouflaged itself, grabbed me and tried to use me as a hostage." She lowered her voice. "He told the Doctor that the Time War caused the destruction of his planet, and he wanted the Doctor to feel the same loss that he did. Found out later he did stuff like that regularly as a scam, pretending to be a victim of war."

"Oh no," Rose groaned. "It's like the Gelth all over again, playin' off his guilt, as if he didn't have enough of it already."

"I know," Lyssa agreed. "Our friend came up then and paralyzed him, but not before he had cut me on the neck. The Doctor fixed me up with a dermal regenerator, made sure I was all right, and then disappeared to work on the TARDIS."

"Did you go after him?" Rose asked, pushing open the door to the pool.

Lyssa shook her head. "I felt really bad for him, and angry that the alien had tried to hurt him for profit, but I don't know him well enough that I feel able to really help. I didn't see him until a couple hours later, when I started feeling dizzy, which somehow landed me here."

Rose nodded, slipping into the swimming pool and swimming gracefully around, dipping her head under before returning to the side. "Yeah. It gets better though. It's not always that bad. You should get in, the water's perfect," she urged.

"I will, I'm just looking for a towel," Lyssa answered distractedly. "I don't want to wander around all wet. It makes me feel all sticky, and uncomfortable." She wandered to the edge of the pool. "Do you think the Doctor will come swimming, too?"

Rose shrugged, eyes widening before returning to normal. "Hard to say, sometimes he comes, sometimes he doesn't."

"Well, I think tha - AAH!" She shrieked as something shoved her into the pool with a splash. Swimming to the surface, she spat out a mouthful of water and pushed her hair out of her face, glaring at the Doctor, dressed in brown swim trunks, and Rose, who were both now doubled over with laughter. "Very funny," she muttered, clinging to the side of the pool.

"Ah, it's good to have a laugh, now and then," the Doctor chuckled, extending a hand to help her out.

"Yeah, at my expense," she grumbled, allowing him to pull her out.

"I'm surprised you didn't pull him in," Rose commented.

"Why would I?" Lyssa asked, climbing out of the pool and onto her feet.

"Coz he pushed you in," the blonde pointed out.

Lyssa shrugged. "Nah. Why would I, when I can do this?" she asked, spinning around suddenly and pushing the Doctor into the pool with all her strength. He grabbed her hand as he fell, pulling her in with him. He pulled her to the surface a moment later, shaking the water out of his eyes.

"Well, that's one way to get in the pool," he commented dryly. "At least I was dressed for it."

Lyssa rolled her eyes, pulling her hair into a low ponytail with a hair-tie from her wrist. "Because you wouldn't have pushed me in had you been wearing your suit?"

The Doctor thought about it for a moment before shrugging and saying cheerfully, "Nah, I probably still would've."

"I'll get you back for that sometime," Lyssa threatened. "But in the meantime, I want to try that big slide up there." She pointed to a tall tube slide at the far end of the pool. "I've never been on one that big, and it looks amazing."

"Right behind ya!" Rose said gleefully, climbing out of the pool and following her up the ladder. "Are you comin', Doctor?" she called down to him.

"Nah, I think I'll stay down here, watch your face as you take it for the first time. You won't expect what's coming," he grinned.

It took two minutes of climbing, but they finally reached the top. "Wow. We're pretty high up," Lyssa commented, looking over the railing to the pool, far below. If she focused, she could make out the vague form of the Doctor in the pool, waving at them with a grin on his face.

Turning to the big, purple tunnel slide, she realized, "It's going to be almost pitch black in there."

"Yep!" Rose agreed, popping the "p". "You can't see a thing, and it winds about so much that you never know when you're gonna hit the water. It's part of what makes it so much fun."

Smoothing a loose strand of hair behind her ears, Lyssa stood in front of the slide and grabbed hold of the rail at the top, looking down into the blackness below. "You know what this calls for?" she asked.

Rose tilted her head curiously. "What?"

Lyssa grinned. Leaning her body back, she swung forward into the darkness of the slide. As she slid forward and disappeared into the dark, one word came echoing back up towards Rose. "Geronimo!"

* * *

 **A/N: Not much to say here, just the usual. Still not British, although I can pull off a semi-decent British accent. Still not Brit-picked. Also, to be honest, I somehow didn't realize that the last chapter was a ciffhanger until after I posted it... And I'm a graduate... Maybe I need to go back to grammar school. *sigh.***

 **Huge thank you to everyone who's favorited and followed. I can't believe I have so many already, and it's so nice to see. Also, huge shout-out to the amazing yellowroseofthenw, grapejuice101, fangirl500, Redc20, and McGriddle96 for reviewing! It was amazing seeing all this feedback to my latest chapter. I appreciate it all so, so much, and while I would keep writing without it, it is also highly motivating to keep writing ahead... I have so many ideas and plot twists, it's just crazy.**

 **So thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa**

 **The script comes from chakoteya. net, and transcripts. foreverdreaming. org (remove the spaces)**


	7. Chapter 7 - 42, Part 1

Lyssa slowly woke up, turning on her side and yawning as she opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw the pictures on her bookcase in between her souvenirs from Asgard. One was her, Rose, and the Tenth Doctor leaning against the motorcycle from the previous day's adventure; and the other was her, River Song, and the Eleventh Doctor laughing together as they sat on a picnic blanket on Asgard.

When she'd asked the Doctor how the TARDIS had got that picture, he'd told her that the TARDIS pulled it out of her memories, but blurred the faces of anyone who the Doctor didn't know yet. "Like that picture there, with me, you, and Rose. I could never really see it until tonight, and I still can't make out that other one. It's the TARDIS's way of avoiding spoilers," he'd informed her.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Lyssa slowly sat up and yawned again. Two hours of swimming in the pool room with Rose and the Doctor had left her exhausted. After getting the pictures on the wall and quickly scribbling the day's adventure in her journal, she had fumbled her way through the shower, half-asleep, and fallen into her bed with her hair still damp and uncombed.

Crawling out of bed reluctantly, she walked into the bathroom and nearly had a heart attack when she saw the state her hair was in. At first glance, it looked like an Afro gone very badly wrong. She groaned, reaching for the hairbrush by the sink. After ten minutes of struggling with it, she gave up and just piled her hair into a very messy bun on top of her head, planning on dealing with it later.

Still wearing her fuzzy bear pajamas, she wandered out into the halls in search of the kitchen and something to eat. Five minutes later, she had a bagel in the toaster and was nursing a cup of hot chocolate when Rose, looking just as tired as she felt, came stumbling in.

"What's that?" the blonde asked groggily, noticing the cup in Lyssa's hand.

"Hot chocolate. Want some? I can make some more real quick," she offered. Rose considered it for approximately half a second before agreeing eagerly. Lyssa drained half her cup before getting up and grabbing the leftover hot water from the kettle, pouring it into a cup. Taking an assortment of spices, and a container of cocoa from a cupboard, she began stirring them into the water, finishing it off with a few marshmallows sprinkled on top.

Topping off her cup as well, she handed the second cup to Rose, then grabbed her bagel out of the toaster and began slathering butter and jelly on it. Taking a bite out of it, she sat down across from Rose and leaned back in her chair. ""So, what do you think?" she asked, taking another bite out of her bagel.

Rose took a sip and considered it, then another. "It's really good. Is it an original recipe?"

Lyssa shrugged. "Sort of? I borrowed the recipe from a friend, then changed it up a bit. For example, her recipe called for some sort of alcohol to be added, but, hello, I'm only twenty years old. In America, we're not allowed to drink until we're twenty-one." She paused. "I mean, you're from England, so you probably could, but I can't. I don't want to, anyways. So, getting back to the point, I took out the alcohol and put in some spices of my own, instead."

Rose grinned. "I've had your version of hot chocolate before, but never the backstory behind it."

Lyssa finished the rest of her bagel off in three large bites, then dusted the crumbs off her fingers. "I guess I knew that I'd tell you now. Dang it. That's another thing I'm gonna have to keep track of," she complained.

"But, don't you have your journal by now? Or is that another spoiler?" Rose finished uncertainly.

Lyssa shook her head. "No, I've got it already. And I've already filled several pages with notes from my first adventure, and the one we had yesterday." She sighed. "But that's more for my adventures with the Doctor. I'm probably going to need a separate one just for things that I'll need to remember to do or not do, to mention, or specifically not to say. That's what, the third thing now that I'll have to remember? Time travel is so difficult to keep straight in your head," she moaned.

"Cheer up," Rose encouraged her. "You'll get the hang of it soon. It's just so tricky right now 'cause you're not used to it."

Lyssa sighed, finishing the rest of her hot chocolate. "I guess. I just -" she stopped, wincing and putting a hand to her head when the room started to swim around her.

"Lyssa? Are you feelin' all right?" Rose asked her in concern.

"I'm fine. I just... feel a little dizzy, that's all." She groaned as the dizziness got worse.

"Lyssa, your hands are fadin'. I think you're goin' on another trip to some other time again." Lifting her head from her hands, Lyssa stared as her hands were indeed fading in and out of visibility, glimmers of gold appearing around the edges. Forcing herself to stand, she tried to get out the door, but had to stop when the dizziness increased.

"Guess you'll have to tell the Doctor that I left," she mumbled.

Rose nodded, giving the brunette a hug before she started fading completely. "I will," she assured her.

"It was nice meeting you," Lyssa said with a weak grin as the walls of the TARDIS kitchen vanished, and were replaced by the golden swirls of the time vortex.

She sighed, preparing to be stuck there for a while. "At least it's not completely black," she muttered, watching a spiral of gold break off from the center to wrap itself around her injured left hand before dissolving back into the vortex. She held up her hand curiously, looking it over as she continued floating on. "Guess I'll find out what it did when I get out of here." She looked around at the seemingly endless vortex. "If I get out of here," she amended her previous statement. She groaned, closing her eyes. "Am I going to have to go through this every time?" she asked aloud.

"Go through what?" a female voice asked. She jerked upright, only then realizing that she had been laying down on a floor that was suddenly there. "Are you talking to yourself now?" the voice asked humorously.

She looked up at the person curiously. "Martha? Martha Jones?" she said incredulously.

The doctor-to-be grinned, extending a hand to help her up. "None other. So, where've you been, then? Future? Past? Anytime in between?"

Lyssa laughed, gratefully accepting the help up. "The past. The Doctor you're with now, but a year or so ago. I think. Before that was my first trip ever, way off in the future."

"So, this is your first time meeting me, then?" The female companion guessed.

Lyssa shrugged sheepishly. "Uh... yes?"

Martha laughed. "I was wondering when this was going to happen. And judging by your attire, I'm gonna guess you were sleeping?"

Lyssa looked down at her fuzzy pajamas, complete with ballet flats, and groaned. "No. But I was only up for like half an hour before jumping or whatever again. I haven't had the chance to change yet. I'll try to do that before heading off on some new adventure. Speaking of which, what have you guys been up to?"

Martha shrugged. "Not much. After you disappeared after the Lazarus incident, we just kind of floated around for a few days. The Doctor was going through the details of the machine that Lazarus used, and I spent the days going through the TARDIS, just exploring all the rooms."

"Lazarus, huh?" Lyssa asked, raising her eyebrows. "If my memory is right, then I think I know where we're going to end up next."

"Any spoilers?" Martha asked slyly, walking down the hallway, and gesturing for her to follow.

Lyssa chuckled. "I don't think so, sorry. Well, except for this: you might want to ditch the jacket. Things'll be heating up _real_ soon," she emphasized, waving at Martha's red jacket.

Martha looked down at her jacket, shrugging it off as they walked into the console room, leaving her in just a red tank top underneath as she draped her jacket over her arms. "Thanks for the tip, as vague as it was."

"What tip?" the Tenth Doctor asked, popping up from around the other side of the console. "Oh! Lyssa! You're here!" he exclaimed, his face brightening.

"Yep, I'm here. Martha found me in the hallway a few minutes ago," she said, waving one hand in the air. He grinned, setting a small gadget onto the console. "So, where've you been, then?" he asked, taking in her pajamas, before his eyes fell on her cast. His eyes dimmed a bit, but he covered it up, asking cheerily, "If you've still got that cast, complete with the black scuff mark on the side, then I'm gonna guess that you've just come from Queen Elizabeth II's coronation and the Wire, then?"

Lyssa smiled and nodded, noticing the way his eyes had dimmed, but not commenting on it. "And Martha's already told me where you guys are at. Old guy tries to rejuvenate himself, turns into energy-sucking monster."

"Eh, yeah, pretty much," the Doctor agreed.

"Hold on, cast? What exactly happened?" Martha asked in concern.

"Don't worry, it doesn't even hurt anymore," Lyssa assured her, waving her wrapped hand in the air for emphasis. "It got hurt in a plane crash a few days ago. But the Doctor managed to fix me up. I should be getting it off tonight, though, right, Doctor?"

"Huh? Oh, right," he agreed. "Now, there was something I wanted to ask Martha. What was it?" he mused.

A thought popped into Lyssa's head. "Did it have to do with her phone, perhaps?" She asked with a grin.

The Doctor pointed a finger at her. "Yes. But. Someday, I _will_ find out how you do that."

Lyssa snickered. "Oh, you will. Eventually. And you will not be expecting the answer. But that's far off in the future for you. In the meantime, you'll just have to wait. Oh, and give Martha's phone the Universal Roaming you were planning on, remember?"

The Doctor snapped out of his pout. "Ah, yes. Martha, your phone, please?" he asked, holding out his hand expectantly. She looked at him strangely, but pulled out her phone and handed it to him.

He flipped it open, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and using it on the phone, walking around the center console as he worked. "There we go! Universal Roaming. Never have to worry about getting a signal again!" he bragged, tossing the phone back to Martha, who caught it with one hand. "I can fix your phone, too, if you like, Lyssa," he offered, pressing some buttons on the console.

She shook her head. "Sorry. My phone got left behind in my old universe."

He looked surprised. "Oh. Well, remind me to get you another one sometime."

"Preferably not a flip-phone," Lyssa said with a smile. "They work great and all that, but a smart phone has better storage and more options. Although, granted, flip phones are probably more durable than the smart phones of my day and age." The Doctor laughed, flipping a switch.

"No way! But it's... too mad! You're telling me that I can call anyone, anywhere, in space and time, on my mobile?" Martha exclaimed, drawing their attention.

"Long as you know the area code," Lyssa informed her. Martha looked stunned, making the Doctor and Lyssa smile.

"Frequent Fliers Privilege," he informed her. Martha smiled back, still somewhat disbelieving. "Go on, try it!" he urged her.

Lyssa, watching as Martha began to dial, suddenly remembered what was about to happen next, and grabbed hold of the railing with both hands. "What are you -" The TARDIS suddenly jolted, sending both the Doctor and Martha to the floor and cutting off his question. Lyssa, having managed to stay on her feet, looked up as the monitor began flashing red. "Distress signal!" the Doctor called, clambering to his feet along with Martha.

"Locking on!" he added, using his foot to activate a switch on the console. Rolling her eyes, Lyssa made sure her grip on the console was tight. The Doctor grunted. "Might be a bit of..." Another violent jolt sent them flying again before becoming completely still. The Doctor sat up. "Turbulence. Sorry!" he finished, running towards the door. "Come on, girls! Let's take a look!" he called over his shoulder.

Lyssa sighed, helping an annoyed-looking Martha to her feet. "I swear, he's like an overgrown child, sometimes."

Martha shook her head. "I don't know how you deal with him all the time."

Lyssa smiled, following the Doctor to the door. "I haven't done it yet, but patience is my guess. Lots and lots of it. You should see him in a few hundred years. He's a positive child in a man's body."

"First of all, that's rude," the Doctor told them, waiting impatiently by the door. "And second of all, spoilers."

Lyssa shrugged. "I'm just surprised you decided to wait for us."

"A decision I'm beginning to regret," the Doctor informed her smartly, pushing the TARDIS doors open and walking out. "Whoa. Now that is hot!" he exclaimed. Martha stepped out curiously, followed by Lyssa. They were in what appeared to be an engine room, glowing red from the extreme heat.

"Whoa! It's like a sauna in here!" she declared, removing her jacket fully and dropping it back in the TARDIS before shutting the doors. "Thanks for the tip, Lyssa. I can tell I definitely won't be needing it in here," she joked.

Lyssa looked down at her long fuzzy pajama pants and sighed. "The first proper spaceship I've ever been on, and I'm in my pajamas. All well. At least I'm wearing a tank top," she muttered, turning to watch the Doctor, who had been ignoring them up to this point.

"Venting systems' working at full pelt. Trying to cool down," he stood up and walked away from the piece of equipment he had been examining, and back towards them. "Wherever it is we are. Well... if you can't stand the heat..." he trailed off, walking towards a heavy-duty door, opening it and walking through, before gesturing for the girls to come through as well. Outside the room, it was marginally cooler, and Lyssa, looking around, spotted a sign that said 'Area 30' above the door.

"Well, that's better," the Doctor said in relief. A clanging sound made them turn around. Three people, two men and a woman, were running at them from the opposite direction, looking extremely hot and sweaty.

"Oi! You two!" one of the men shouted.

"Get out of there," the woman screamed at them.

"Seal that door!" the first man exclaimed, pointing at the door they had just walked through. The Doctor turned to Lyssa in confusion, but she just shook her head silently. Running past them, the two men quickly sealed the door shut.

"Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?" the woman demanded.

"Are you police?" the first man asked nervously.

"Why would we be police?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

Lyssa looked at the woman, knowing exactly why they would think that. "We got your distress signal," Martha explained.

"If this is a ship, why can't I hear any engines?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"It went dead four minutes ago," the woman informed him.

"So maybe we should stop chatting and get to engineering, Captain," the second man suggested, speaking for the first time.

" _Secure closure active_ ," a computerized voice spoke above them as a loud clang sounded.

"What?" the captain exclaimed in confusion.

"The ship's gone mad!" the second man said, looking around the room nervously.

Another woman ran into the corridor, loud clanging sounds following her. "Who activated secure closure?" she demanded angrily. "I nearly got locked into area 27!" The closest door slammed shut, making them all jump, and locking them into area 29. The new woman looked at them in confusion. "Who are you?"

The Doctor started to speak but Martha cut him off, sounding distracted even as she spoke. "He's the Doctor, I'm Martha, and that's Lyssa. Hello." She started walking to the side of the room.

" _Impact Projection: 42 minutes_ ," the computer spoke up again. Lyssa quietly followed Martha to the window, a bright, golden light shining through it.

Martha's eyes widened as soon as she looked out the window. "Doctor..." she said in a shaky voice.

"I wouldn't look for too long, if I were you," Lyssa tried to warn the medical student, unsure if she had even been heard.

"Forty-two minutes until what?" the Doctor asked. Martha pressed her face against the window.

"Doctor! Look!" she nearly screamed. Darting over, the Doctor peered over her shoulder to look out the window. Lyssa looked away, feeling slightly nauseous. She knew exactly what they were seeing. A blazing sun growing closer and closer as its gravity pulled the dead ship into its reach.

"Forty-two minutes until we crash into the sun," the captain explained wearily.

The Doctor whipped around, running over to the captain and grabbing her arm, face white. "How many crew members on board?" he asked worriedly.

"Seven, including us," the captain informed him.

"We transport cargo across the galaxy. Everything's automated. We just keep the ship..." the second man explained.

"Call the others! I'll get you out!" The Doctor shouted, running back towards the door they had come from.

"What's he doing?" The first man demanded, seeing him about to open the door. Lyssa's eyes widened, remembering what was about to happen.

Taking off, she barely heard the captain shouting, "No! Don't!" Reaching the Doctor right as he pulled the door open, she grabbed him around the waist, trying to push him out of the way of the heat blast she knew was coming. They didn't move far enough, however, as the extreme heat in the room pushed out, knocking them both backwards several feet; the Doctor wrapping his arms around her head in an effort to protect her as they fell.

Rolling to a stop, Lyssa lay there with her head on his arm in a daze for a minute, trying to get her bearings back as they were surrounded by the crew members and Martha. Her eyes came back into focus right as one of the crew members, dressed in a breathing apparatus, carefully shut the door.

"Lyssa, are you all right?" the Doctor asked worriedly, helping her to her feet.

She nodded, trying to catch her breath. "Sorry. I forgot that was going to happen until the last minute. Thanks for cushioning my fall."

He nodded, starting to say something, but then noticed what the masked crew member was doing. "But my ship's in there!" he protested.

"In the vent chamber?" the first man asked incredulously. The masked crew member took off the breathing apparatus, revealing the female beneath, dropping it onto the floor and reading off the gauges by the door.

"It's our lifeboat!" the Doctor tried to explain.

"It's lava," the second man told him wearily.

"The temperature's going mad in there!" the woman by the door exclaimed. "Up 3,000 degrees in seconds, and still rising!"

"Channeling the air. The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's gonna get," the captain explained.

We're stuck here!" Martha realized, a look of contempt on her face.

"So?" the Doctor exclaimed. "We fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the sun. Simple! Engineering down here, is it?" he asked, running down a corridor, followed by everyone else.

" _Impact in 40.26_ ," the computer informed them in a monotone.

Running down a set of stairs, the Doctor stopped suddenly in bemusement. "Blimey! Do you always leave things in such a mess?"

"Oh, no," the captain breathed.

"What happened in here?" the second man demanded, eyeing the wreckage. Lying in steaming heaps all over the room were the remains of what presumably used to be an engine.

"Oh, it's wrecked," the first man said in despair as they began to survey the damage.

"Pretty efficiently too," the Doctor pointed out. "Someone knew what they were doing," he commented, wandering over to a computer terminal.

"Where's Korwin?" the captain asked, looking around. "Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?"

"No," the second man answered, looking rather worried.

"Wait. So, you mean that someone did this on purpose?" Martha asked incredulously, looking at the Doctor.

"Yeah," Lyssa answered softly. "And they had a pretty good reason for doing it, too." That got everyone's attention.

"What are you talking about? How would you know that?" the captain asked in consternation.

"Lyssa doesn't always speak that much. But I've found that it's usually wise to listen when she does," the Doctor said quietly, eyes fixed on Lyssa.

"Well, if it's so important, then why don't you tell us?" the captain demanded.

Lyssa looked at her sorrowfully. "It doesn't work that way. And I could tell you who, and you would immediately know why," she said, looking the older woman firmly in the eyes.

The captain's eyes shifted away guiltily. "I don't have time for this nonsense," she spat, walking over to an intercom system. "Korwin? Ashton? Where are you?" she asked over the intercom. She strode away in frustration. "Where on earth could he be? He should be up here!" she exclaimed angrily, but a hint of worry in her voice. Lyssa looked down, knowing exactly what had happened to her husband.

The Doctor put on his glasses and began fiddling with the computer terminal, trying to find out where they were, while behind him, the crew began rushing about, trying to find their missing crew mates. "Oh! We're in the Toraji System. Lovely! You're a long way from home, Martha."

"Half a universe away," Lyssa said before he could.

"That's cheating!" the Doctor objected, pointing at her.

"Yeah, feels it," Martha said sarcastically at the same time.

Something on the terminal caught the Doctor's eye. Turning to the captain, he asked, "And you're still using energy scoops for fusion? Hasn't that been outlawed yet?"

The crew looked at each other guiltily. "Penny in the air," Lyssa said quietly.

"We're due to upgrade next docking," the captain said dismissively, walking away from the captain and towards the second man. "Scannell, engine report," she ordered.

Scannell walked over to the computer that the Doctor had been at before, and began scanning. The machine beeped several times, indicating the scan results. "No response," he read, running over to the wrecked engine.

"What?" the captain said in shock.

Scannell bent over the engine, examining the wires protruding from the wreck. "They're burnt out. The controls are wrecked. I can't get them back online."

The Doctor took his glasses off. "Oh, come on! Auxiliary engines! Every craft's got auxiliaries!"

The captain shook her head. "We don't have access from here. The auxiliary controls are in the front of the ship."

"Yeah, with twenty-nine password-sealed doors between us and them. You'll never get there in time," he informed them.

"Can't you override the doors?" Martha asked, sounding slightly put out.

"No. Sealed closure means what it says. They're all deadlock-sealed," Scannell said.

"So a sonic screwdriver's no use," the Doctor said in disappointment, pulling out his sonic and pouting before reluctantly tucking it back in his pocket.

"Sorry, dear, maybe next time," Lyssa offered, patting his arm in sympathy.

"Are you making fun?" he asked incredulously, just as Scannell replied.

"Nothing's any use. We've got no engines, no time, and no chance."

"Oh, listen to you!" the Doctor said sarcastically. "Defeated before you've even started! Where's your Dunkirk spirit?" He turned to the captain. "Who's got the passwords?"

"They're randomly generated," the first man interrupted. "Reckon I know most of them. Sorry," he added as they all turned to look at him. "Riley Vashti," he finished.

"Then what are you waiting for, Riley Vashti, get on it!" The Doctor ordered, taking command.

"Well, it's a two person job," Riley explained, grabbing what looked like a huge magnetic clamp, and an almost equally as large backpack. "One, it takes to answer the question, and the other to carry this," he finished, hefting the kit onto his back. "The oldest and cheapest security system around, eh, Captain?"

"Reliable and simple, just like you, eh, Riley?" she returned with a smile.

"Try and be helpful, get abuse. Nice," he deadpanned.

"I'll help you, make myself useful," Martha offered, taking some equipment from Riley's hands. Lyssa opened her mouth to offer to join them, but stopped. If she went with them now, no one would be saved. Riley and Martha would, in the end, be fine if they went alone. But at least four other crew members would die. She shook her head, deciding to stay.

"Oi. Be careful," the Doctor ordered Martha, who smiled back at him.

"You too."

"Wait!" Lyssa ran over and gave her a hug. "Move fast, and if you have to call your mom, try not to give anything away. Oh, and stay safe," she added, releasing her.

"Good luck!" the medical student called over her shoulder as she followed Riley out of the area.

" _McDonnell? It's Ashton_ ," a man's voice called suddenly over the intercom. The captain raced over to the intercom.

"Where are you? Is Korwin with you?" she demanded.

" _Get to the med-center now!_ " Ashton said, his voice dead serious.

McDonnell left the intercom and ran out the door, followed by The Doctor and Lyssa, past Martha and Riley, who were just setting up for their first attempt.

" _Impact in 34.31_ ," the computer droned above them.

They finally came to a halt in the med-center where a man and woman were trying to restrain another man, thrashing about on a bed next to what looked like an MRI center.

"Korwin! What happened? Is he okay?" McDonnell demanded as the Doctor ran to the foot of the bed.

"Help me! It's burning me!" Korwin pleaded, still thrashing about.

"How long has he been like this?" the Doctor asked, watching him flail about.

"Ashton just brought him in," the woman explained, still holding Korwin down.

Waiting towards the back of the room, Lyssa began to anxiously bite her nails as the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning Korwin. "What are you doing?" McDonnell demanded in a panicked voice as Korwin shrieked in pain again.

"Sonic impulse," the Doctor tried to explain as the captain pushed past him to the head of the bed.

"Don't be so stupid, that's my husband!"

"And he's just sabotaged our ship!" Ashton interrupted.

"What?" McDonnell said in disbelief, turning to face him.

"He went mad. He set the ship to secure closure, then he set the heat pulse to melt the controls."

"No way! He wouldn't do that!" the captain denied.

"I saw it happen, Captain," Ashton told her regretfully.

"Korwin? Korwin, open your eyes for me a second," the Doctor asked, finishing his scan.

"I can't," Korwin grit out through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, course you can. Go on," the Doctor tried again.

"Don't make me look at you, please!" the poor man begged.

Raising an eyebrow, the Doctor moved to the foot of the bed, picking up what looked like a dart gun off the table. "All right, all right, all right. Just relax. Sedative?" he asked quietly, showing the gun to the woman restraining Korwin.

She nodded. "Yeah."

Carefully pressing the sedative gun against Korwin's neck, he injected it quickly. Korwin let out one last cry of pain before relaxing and falling silent. Replacing the gun on the tray, the Doctor perched on the foot of the bed and crossed his arms. "Rising body temperature, unusual energy readings, stasis chamber," he pointed at the unit next to the bed. "I do love a good stasis chamber. Keep him sedated in there, regulate the body temperature." He said more, but Lyssa wasn't listening.

Closing her eyes, she tried to picture what would happen if they managed to freeze Korwin until they returned the energy to the sun, and if he would survive. To her surprise, each scenario played out clearly in her head, as if it were happening right in front of her. Unfortunately, each scenario also ended in the death of multiple people. Whether Korwin woke up in the middle of the process and went on a rampage; or them being successful, and someone else being infected, waking up Korwin and completing the infection process, they always ended in death.

She opened her eyes, giving up, then jumping as the Doctor was standing right in front of her, watching her carefully. "Lyssa, are you all right? What did you see?"

Her eyes filled with tears. "I can't save him," she whispered. "I thought that maybe I could, but I can't. It's too late. He's already lost."

The Doctor's face filled with sympathy as he pulled her in for a hug. She buried her face into his chest, trying to hide her tears. "We can't always save everyone. I'm sorry," he told her softly.

"Will someone tell me what is the matter with him?" McDonnell demanded, breaking them apart as Lyssa subtly tried to wipe her eyes, realizing that Korwin had been moved into the stasis chamber.

"Some sort of infection. We'll know more after the test results," the Doctor said quickly. "Now, allons-y, back downstairs. See about those engines, go!" he ordered. Ashton quickly left the room, but McDonnell didn't move. "Oi! Go!" he repeated urgently. She left reluctantly, looking back at Korwin several times.

The Doctor turned to the woman. "Call us if there's news!" he darted through the door, popping his head back through the plastic curtains a moment later. "Any questions?"

The woman scoffed. "Yeah. Who are you?"

He grinned. "I'm the Doctor." Just then he noticed that Lyssa hadn't moved from her spot by the wall. "Lyssa! Aren't you coming?"

She shook her head. "I think I should stay here. You go on without me."

He eyed her for a moment. "All right. But you be careful," he ordered her.

She smiled. "Scout's honor."

He frowned. "But you were never a scout," he objected.

"Oh, just go!" she ordered, as he disappeared after McDonnell and Ashton.

"So, who are you, then?" the woman asked, turning to run some more tests.

"I'm Lyssa Devons," she offered, noticing Korwin's hand beginning to twitch in the stasis chamber. "I'm with the Doctor."

"Abi Lerner," the woman replied brusquely.

"Um, is there any way to increase the setting on this stasis field? I think he might be waking up."

" _Heat shields failing at twenty-five percent. Impact in 32.50_ ," the computer interrupted.

Abi looked up at the ceiling in disgust. "You know, I really hate that. Just adds more tension. Now. What were you saying? Oh. Just twist the dial on the left up a notch or two. But he shouldn't be waking up at all."

"He shouldn't, but he is," Lyssa muttered, twisting the dial up as far as it would go, watching Korwin's twitching fingers settle somewhat, stomach filled with apprehension. They worked in silence for a few minutes before the intercom came on.

" _Abi, how's Korwin doing? Any results from the bio-scan?_ " the Doctor asked.

"He's under heavy sedation and your friend just increased the dosage," Abi told him. "I'm just trying to make sense of this data. Give me a couple of minutes, and I'll let you know."

" _Lyssa, how're you doing?_ " the Doctor asked.

"I'm fine," Lyssa promised absently. "Just don't let anybody go off by themselves, especially Ashton and Erina."

Abi turned around and looked at her curiously. " _Will do,_ " the Doctor assured her before continuing to speak over the intercom to Martha and Riley.

"How come you singled those two out? And how'd you know Erina's name? She wasn't with you," Abi asked.

Lyssa shrugged uncomfortably. "She was there before. Someone must've mentioned her name. And I just... we don't know what's going on. Nobody should be going off by themselves," she muttered, eyes on Korwin, whose head was beginning to move.

"I guess," Abi agreed, turning back to the scans, holding them up in the air with a quizzical look. "These don't make sense."

" _Impact in 30.50_ ," the computer announced.

"Thanks for the heads-up," Lyssa said sarcastically, wiping the sweat off her brow. Martha came on the intercom, exchanging a rapid-fire series of questions with the Doctor about one of the password questions.

" _Impact in 28.50_."

"Hang on," Abi said, putting down the scans and turning on the intercom. "Doctor, these readings are starting to scare me."

" _What do you mean?_ " he asked immediately, sounding concerned.

"Well," Abi began. "Korwin's body's changing. His whole biological make-up. It's... it's impossible."

A loud bang made them both jump. Abi looked up in the convex mirror above her head, then slowly turned around, a look of fright on her face as she saw Korwin standing there, eyes shut tight. Lyssa cursed her inability to stay focused, looking around frantically for something to use as a weapon.

"This is med-center," Abi called over the intercom, her voice beginning to rise in panic. "Urgent assistance requested. Urgent assistance!"

"Doctor! Get up here now!" Lyssa shouted, grabbing a nearby loose pipe and hefting it experimentally.

"Urgent assistance!" Abi pleaded again.

" _Abi. They're on their way,_ " Erina said over the intercom. " _Just try to hold on._ "

Korwin began to advance on Abi, eyes still closed as Abi began to back up, trying to stay calm.

"What's happening to you?" she begged. Lyssa crept up behind him, trying to find the best line of attack.

" **Burn with me** ," Korwin spoke, in a deep, threatening voice that was clearly not his own. " **Burn with me. Burn with me** ," he repeated, backing Abi up against the wall.

"K-Korwin, you're sick," she stammered, really frightened now.

Korwin's voice got darker. " **Burn. With. Me!** "

His eyes began to open, bright light starting to shine through them. Abi squinted, shrinking back against the wall and trying to cover her eyes. Lyssa suddenly leapt forward, swinging the pipe with all her might at the side of Korwin's neck. Abi screamed as Korwin staggered sideways. Dropping the pipe with a clang, Lyssa grabbed Abi's hand and pulled her away from Korwin.

"Run!" she shouted, both girls screaming as Korwin suddenly turned towards them, bright light pouring from his now open eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: So, this turned out to be way longer than I expected...I have no idea if every chapter is going to be like this, but I will try to stay at around 4,500-5,500 words per chapter, although Christmas Specials and the like may have a bit more, depending on the length of the episode.**

 **Also, yeah...leaving it on a cliffhanger is probably not the nicest way to act...Can I blame it on Steven Moffatt?**

 **Most episodes** **will be split into two parts, although one episode in the near future ended up just being one chapter. Hope everyone's OK with that.**

 **So...Huge thank you to everyone who's favorited and followed, it's amazing seeing how people like it; and huge shout-out as well to frosty600, Redc20, guest, and HalfPastEleven for reviewing! You were all so nice, and it's wonderful getting a chance to see some kind words in the midst of EMT training. (Ugh. It's fun, but completely exhausting. :P) And to answer a few questions...**

 ** _Q: My favorite Doctor Who episode_ A: Probably Day of the Doctor. I loved that. I'm still miffed that Ten's last words were "I don't want to go," but the thing that bugs me the most is probably the joke that was his hair...it wasn't floofy at all, and it was just kind of sad. But yeah. That's my favorite episode.**

 ** _Q: Who is my favorite Doctor_ A: Probably Eleven. I really liked Nine, and adored Ten (I cried when he left), but I connected the most with Eleven, because I feel like we have fairly similar personalities. I actually liked him so much that I refused to accept his leaving for two years before I would watch Twelve. Of course, I eventually broke down (I'm still in denial about his regeneration, though.) and started watching Season 8 - and loved it. Capaldi makes an amazing Doctor. I especially love his and Clara's amazing friendship; but Eleven's my favorite overall.**

 ** _Q: What is Lyssa's favorite color?_ A: Something between blue and purple. Or both.**

 **And in case anybody was wondering...Twelve will be appearing very soon... sometime within the next ten chapters. Most likely less. I haven't written him yet, but I know what episode I plan on using, and I've already got plans for it...**

 **So, thank you again to everyone for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	8. Chapter 8 - 42, Part 2

_Warning: Thar be cliches ahead_

Pushing Abi out the door, Lyssa ran after her, wincing at the heat she could feel on her back. She ran faster than she ever had before; constantly looking over her shoulder, terrified that she might see Korwin coming after them at any moment.

"Oof!" she grunted as she smacked into a hard chest, bringing her run to an abrupt halt.

"Lyssa!" the Doctor exclaimed, pushing her back with his hands on her shoulders. He stared at her for a moment before placing his hands on her cheeks and pulling her in for a quick kiss, resting his forehead against hers after. "Don't _ever_ scare me like that again," he told her, before returning to business and heading back down the hallway to the med-center at a fast pace, followed by a bemused McDonnell.

"OK," Lyssa said breathlessly, voice high-pitched. "Did that just happen?" she asked Abi, eyes wide.

Abi laughed, sounding slightly hysterical, signs of the previous fright still showing on her face. "Pretty sure we all saw that happen, you just didn't see it coming. Come on, lovebird. I suppose we'll need to go after them, although I'm not really looking forward to going back there."

"Korwin should be gone by now, or we'd have heard something," Lyssa assured her, face still flushed bright red.

Abi raised an eyebrow. "Well, then, if you're so confident, I hope you won't mind if I let you go first?"

Lyssa laughed nervously. "Sure."

Walking back into the med-center, Lyssa's face immediately grew red again upon seeing the Doctor, but he wasn't looking at them. He, McDonnell, and Scannell, who had somehow joined the group, were all staring at the wall.

"What're you all - oh." There on the wall, instead of the shadow of Abi's body as she died, were words still glowing red-hot, burnt into the wall.

 **BURN WITH ME**.

"Oh my gosh," Scannell said in disbelief. "Is that what would have happened to Lerner and your friend?"

The Doctor ran his fingers around the edge of the words, careful to avoid touching the hot letters. "Endothermic vaporization. I've never seen one this ferocious." He paused, looking distant. "Burn with me," he repeated.

"That's what we heard Korwin say," Scannell said, looking troubled.

"What? D'you think... no way! Scannell, tell him! Korwin is not a killer! He can't vaporize people! He's human!" McDonnell protested.

"In a way, you're right. It wasn't Korwin who tried to kill us," Lyssa interrupted.

They all turned to look at her, Abi looking confused. "What d'you mean, it wasn't him? We both saw him try to kill us with our own eyes!"

Lyssa shook her head, eyes sad. "No, it wasn't. It may have been his body, but it wasn't Korwin himself who tried to kill us." She turned to McDonnell. "I'm sorry, but Korwin is gone."

The captain shook her head in denial. "No he's not. You're wrong."

The Doctor walked up to Lyssa. "What do you know?" he asked curiously. "Any hints?"

She looked away, trying not to blush - and failing, even in the serious situation they were in. "He wants us to suffer like he is. He wants what has been stolen from him to be returned. If you need more proof, look at the scans," she said, pointing at the scans Abi had dropped on the floor in her fright and haste to escape.

The Doctor picked up the x-rays and bio-scans and held them up to the light, looking at them curiously. "His bio-scan results... internal body temperature: one hundred degrees! Body oxygen replaced by hydrogen! Your husband hasn't been infected, he's been overwhelmed!"

McDonnell snatched the results away from him. "The test results are wrong!" she protested angrily.

"But what is it, though?" The Doctor asked, unheeding of her indignation. "Parasite? Mutagenic virus? Something that needs a host body. But how did it get inside him?"

"Stop talking like he's some kind of experiment!" McDonnell said, sounding slightly hysterical.

"Hold on, Lyssa said something. Something important. 'He wants us to suffer. He wants what was taken from him!'" The Doctor turned back to McDonnell. "Where's the ship been? Have you made planet-fall recently?" McDonnell looked blank, so he switched his line of questioning. "Have you docked with any other vessels? Any kind of external contact at all?"

"What is this? An interrogation?" McDonnell spat.

The Doctor looked at her sadly but said seriously, "I'm sorry, but we've got to stop him before he tries to kill again."

McDonnell looked away, distraught. "We're just a... cargo ship."

Scannell tried to comfort her. "Doctor, if you give her a minute..." The Doctor nodded, waiting silently by Lyssa as McDonnell tried to collect herself.

Quickly recovering, she said brusquely, "I'm fine. I need to warn the crew." The Doctor began to look over the bio-scan results again, still puzzled, as McDonnell walked over to the intercom and turned it on. "Everybody, listen to me! Something has infected Korwin. He tried..." She stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. "He tried to kill Abi, and the Doctor's friend, Lyssa. None of you must go anywhere near him, is that clear?"

Ashton responded a moment later. " _Understood, Captain._ "

Lyssa jerked upright suddenly, darting over to the comms and pushing past McDonnell. Turning it back on, she said frantically, "Erina, you've got to get out of there, now! Korwin's close to your position, he's looking for you! Just get out of there and find Ashton!"

Not listening to anyone's questions, she bolted past everyone and out of the room, back towards the engine room, trying to find Erina in time. A horrified scream that suddenly broke off pulled her up short.

"No. Please no," she begged, collecting herself and running even faster. She skidded to a stop outside a storage cupboard, the tale of what had happened horrifically clear on the wall. She sank to her knees, tears filling her eyes.

" _Impact in 24.51_." the computer droned.

"Lyssa! You can't just go running off like that when there's a - oh." The Doctor came running into the room after Lyssa, stopping when he saw the shadow on the wall.

"She died, and it was my fault," Lyssa whispered, a tear trickling down her cheek. "I knew that she was supposed to die, and I didn't do anything to help her. I killed her, just as much as Korwin did."

"No, Lyssa. You didn't do anything wrong," the Doctor tried to reassure her, kneeling by her side and putting an arm around her. "You told us at the beginning not to go off by ourselves, and she didn't listen. Then, when you found out where she was, you warned her to get out of there, and came as fast as you could to get here."

"Not fast enough," Lyssa countered miserably, hanging her head.

"You saved Abi Lerner though, didn't you? You chose to stay behind with her, and that probably saved her life."

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing," the Doctor said firmly. "You had nothing to do with her death, it was caused by whatever was possessing Korwin, wherever he is."

"Korwin..." Lyssa muttered.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded. "He did it, not you."

"No, you don't get it!" Lyssa nearly shouted, standing up and pushing the Doctor's arm off, running into the engine room, closely followed by the Doctor. They arrived just in time to see Korwin pulling a terrified Ashton to his feet. "Not this time!" Lyssa declared fiercely, grabbing another loose pipe out of the wreckage.

"Lyssa, wait!" the Doctor started as she charged forward, swinging the pipe again at Korwin's side once she got close enough, making him release Ashton on reflex. Pushing past him, she grabbed Ashton's hand and took off for the med-center, the Doctor right behind her.

"We need to have a serious talk about the risks you're taking," the Doctor warned her, maintaining an even pace with her.

"You were just comforting me about losing Erina, and now you're mad that I took a chance and saved Ashton?" she countered.

"Hold on, what's happened to Erina?" Ashton panted.

"Korwin got her; sorry," the Doctor called over his shoulder. "And of course I'm not mad he's alive, I'm just not thrilled about the fact that you nearly got yourself killed, _again_ ," he emphasized, returning to their conversation.

Lyssa shrugged as best as she could while running. "It wasn't as close as it was earlier. But I will admit that I'm really glad that they've got these loose pipes all over. They've come in really handy twice today, now." She huffed a laugh as they came back into the med-center.

"Ashton?" Abi said in surprise. "Where's Erina?"

Lyssa looked down, still breathing hard. "She's dead. I'm so sorry. I tried to save her, but I didn't get there in time."

"Dead? What do you mean, dead? How?" Scannell demanded from where he was standing by McDonnell.

"Korwin killed her. Same way he tried to kill Abi and Lyssa. And the same way he tried to kill Ashton just now," the Doctor explained.

Lyssa shook her head, taking a deep breath of air. "Not kill. Convert."

"What do you mean, 'convert?'" the Doctor asked, a worried look on his face.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Korwin needed back-up, so he was gonna change Ashton the same way he was," she explained.

The Doctor frowned, picking up the bio-scan results and examining them again. "Which was quite a big change. You hit him hard with that lead pipe - twice. And while it made him pause, he's still going strong - literally."

"Doctor, Abi couldn't make much sense of the results. Is the infection permanent? Can you cure him?" McDonnell pleaded.

The Doctor put down the scans. "I don't know," he said seriously.

The captain frowned. "Don't lie to me, Doctor. Eleven years, we've been married. We chose this ship together. He keeps me honest. So I don't want false hope."

"Tell her, Doctor. She needs to know," Lyssa interjected quietly.

The Doctor nodded. ""The parasite's too aggressive. Your husband's gone. There's no way back. Sorry," he said bluntly.

McDonnell nodded, accepting it. "Thank you," she said quietly.

The Doctor suddenly straightened, life seeming to spring into him as he walked towards the captain. "Are you... certain nothing happened to provoke this? Nobody's working on anything secret? Lyssa told us that it's attacking you for a reason, so it's vital that you tell me."

"I know every inch of this ship. I know every detail of my crew's lives. There is nothing," she stated firmly.

The Doctor stared at her harshly. "Then why is this thing so interested in you?"

McDonnell shook her head slightly. "I wish I knew."

"She really doesn't know, Doctor," Lyssa spoke up. "None of them do. It was an unintended crime, but that doesn't change the severity of it."

"What did we do?" McDonnell demanded, stalking forward to face her. "Who did we hurt? You keep saying that, but you never say who, or how. How do you even know all this?"

Lyssa lifted her chin. "Do you really want to know? Because once you know, there's no going back."

"Tell me," McDonnell ordered.

"You didn't scan," Lyssa told her bluntly. "You didn't scan for life, and now it's in agony, and it's all your fault." McDonnell looked at her uncomprehendingly.

The Doctor's eyes widened, starting to understand what she meant. "No. You don't mean -"

" _Doctor!_ " Martha's frantic voice came over the intercom. " _We're stuck in an escape pod off the area 17 airlock. One of the crew's trying to jettison us! You gotta help us!_ "

"Get to the engine room!" Lyssa ordered, leading the group to the room. As the Doctor pulled out his glasses and began examining the engine, Lyssa pulled Abi and Ashton aside. "None of you go anywhere alone. And don't let McDonnell sacrifice herself to stop Korwin."

Abi looked at her in puzzlement, but Ashton nodded in agreement. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"What is going on?" McDonnell demanded in exasperation.

The Doctor took off his glasses, tucking them back into his pocket. "Stay here! I mean it this time!" he ordered, running out of the room. "And jump-start those engines!" he called over his shoulder, closely followed by Lyssa. He barreled through the door of area 17 just as Korwin, with a helmet and visor over his head, was tapping at the keypad in an attempt to jettison Martha and Riley overboard.

"That's enough!" the Doctor ordered, making Korwin turn to look at him. "What do you want? Why this ship? Tell me!"

"Doctor..." Lyssa said nervously. Rather than answer him, Korwin turned and put a fist through the keypad.

" _Jettison activated_ ," the computer sounded.

"Come on. Let's see you," the Doctor challenged as Korwin advanced on him menacingly. "I wanna know what you really are." Korwin made no reply, only lifting a hand to his visor.

"Korwin!" Lyssa suddenly shouted, heart pounding, but knowing that she had to distract him before he killed the Doctor. "Korwin!" she repeated as he turned to look at her. "He didn't have anything to do with it. He's trying to fix it; he's trying to help you! Give us time, and we can return what was taken from you!" Korwin paused, lowering his hand from his visor.

" _Airlock sealed_ ," the computer announced.

Rather than continue his attack, Korwin pushed past the Doctor and stalked out of area 17. As soon as he was out of sight, the Doctor skidded to the nearest comm unit and flicked it on.

"McDonnell! Korwin's heading in your direction!"

" _Acknowledged, Doctor. We'll be ready for him,_ " she responded calmly.

"Ready?" the Doctor repeated. "What does -"

" _Airlock decompression completed. Jettisoning pod_ ," the computer interrupted.

"No!" Lyssa gasped, eyes widening as she realized that they were too late. She looked around wildly, trying to find something to help with the situation, while the Doctor promised Martha through the airlock door that he would save her. Her eyes landed on the comm unit.

" _Impact in 17.05_ ," the computer announced.

Lyssa ignored it, turning the intercom on again. "Scannell! I need a spacesuit in area 17, now!" she ordered.

" _What for?_ " he asked incredulously.

"For me," the Doctor said quietly, appearing by Lyssa's side silently, voice like ice.

" _What are you going to do, Doctor? Go after them?_ " Scannell asked.

"Just get down here!" the Doctor yelled at the top of his voice, making Lyssa jump.

" _He's coming, Doctor,_ " Ashton informed them a minute later. The Doctor didn't respond, stalking over to the airlock door. They waited in silence until Scannell ran in panting a few minutes later, orange spacesuit and helmet in hand. The Doctor immediately took the spacesuit from him and put it on.

"What are you doing?" Scannell asked nervously.

"Going after them," the Doctor said bluntly.

"I can't let you do this," Scannell protested.

"You're wasting your breath, Scannell. You're not gonna stop me," the Doctor warned.

"You wanna open an airlock in flight, on a ship spinning into the sun! No one can survive that!" Scannell said, trying to reason with him.

"Oh, you just watch," the Doctor told him.

"You open that lock, it's suicide. This close to the sun, the shields will barely protect you," the crewman tried again.

"If I can break the magnetic lock on the ship's exterior, it should re-magnetize the pod. Now, while I'm out there, you have got to get the rest of those doors open. We _need_ those auxiliary engines," the Doctor continued, not listening to him.

"Doctor! Will you listen? They're too far away, it's too late!"

"It's alright, Scannell. I'll stay here and look after him," Lyssa said quietly, speaking for the first time. They both looked at her in surprise.

"There, you see? Lyssa'll look after me, I'll be fine," the Doctor urged.

Scannell looked between the two of them, and when Lyssa nodded, turned and ran out of the room.

Lyssa turned to the Doctor, helping him put his helmet on. "Doctor, listen to me. When you go out there, do NOT, under ANY circumstances, look at the sun." He nodded, not really paying her much attention; focused on his helmet and saving Martha and Riley. She scowled, whacking his arm and making him look at her. "I'm serious, Doctor! You can't look at the sun!"

"Why not?" he asked, frowning.

She sighed. "Because it's alive," she told him honestly. "No!" she almost shouted when his eyes widened. "No questions, not now! There's not enough time! Now go save Martha and Riley!"

He nodded, face intense, but Lyssa could see the wheels turning in his head. He walked inside the airlock chamber, the door sliding shut after him.

" _Decompression activated_ ," the computer announced as the air began dissipating from the room. " _Impact in 11.15_ ," it warned a moment later. " _Heat shield failing at ten percent_."

Lyssa watched nervously through the window, biting her lip as the Doctor opened the exterior door, recoiling from the heat and brightness of the sun, but avoiding looking directly at it as he began to clamber onto the outer hull of the ship, clinging tightly onto the frame. After waiting a few minutes, she couldn't take it any longer and accessed his personal comm unit from the station.

"Doctor! How're you doing?" she asked worriedly.

" _I can't! I can't reach! I don't know how much longer I can last,_ " he panted, sounding strained and desperate.

"Come on! Don't give up now! I know you can do it!" she urged. He didn't reply, but a moment later she heard him scream something unintelligible.

" _Re-magnetizing_ ," the computer announced suddenly, making Lyssa sag with relief.

"Doctor! Doctor, you did it! Are you all right?" she called over the intercom. There was a clang as he slid into the airlock and collapsed to his knees, face hidden from view.

" _Doctor, close that airlock, now!_ " Scannell shouted over the intercom. When the Doctor didn't move, Lyssa smashed her fist into the 'seal door' button, and waited anxiously for the air to be returned.

" _Impact in 8.57. Airlock re-compression completed_."

The Doctor tore off his helmet and practically fell into the corridor, still on his knees. Lyssa raced to his side, crouching beside him, only then noticing that his eyes were screwed shut, and his face was tight with pain. "Oh, no," she groaned. "You looked at the sun, didn't you?"

"I couldn't... help it," he gasped, sounding pained. "Slipped and nearly fell... on the way back... Couldn't help... but look."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not blaming you. You saved Martha and Riley, now it's my turn to save you," she quickly assured him, resting a hand on his back.

He groaned in pain suddenly, starting to writhe on the floor as Martha and Riley made their way out of the escape pod and ran to him. "Doctor! Doctor! Are you all right?" Martha asked, sharing a worried look with Lyssa and helping flip him onto his back so he could sit up.

He opened his eyes, glowing with the same energy Korwin's had. "Stay away from me!" he shouted angrily, trying to fight it, closing his eyes again tightly.

"Do as he says, Martha," Lyssa urged, although she herself stayed where she was, an arm wrapped around the Doctor in an effort to support him. Martha backed away a few feet towards Riley, still watching the Doctor in concern.

McDonnell and Ashton came running in. "What's happened?" the captain demanded.

"It's your fault, Captain McDonnell!" the Doctor shouted, his voice still normal, not the deep, alien voice of Korwin.

Her eyes went wide, but she maintained her composure, pointing away from them. "Riley! Get down to area 10 and help Scannell and Abi with the doors. Go!"

The Doctor fought back another wave of pain, not even noticing Riley leaving. "You mined that sun! Stripped its surface for cheap fuel! You should have scanned for life!" he shouted.

"I don't understand," McDonnell frowned.

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" Martha pleaded.

He grimaced, leaning slightly into Lyssa as the pain increased again. "That sun is alive! A living organism! They scooped out its hear, used it for fuel, and now it's screaming!" he explained, panting.

"What do you mean? How can a sun be alive? Why's he saying that?" McDonnell demanded in a panicked voice.

"Because it's living in me," the Doctor groaned. Lyssa could tell the exact moment McDonnell comprehended it.

"Oh..." Ashton's eyes went wide in shock and horror.

"Humans!" the Doctor spat angrily. "You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry!" He screamed in agony. "You should have scanned!"

"It takes too long! We'd be caught! Fusion scoops are illegal!" the older woman defended weakly.

The Doctor cried out again. "You've got to freeze me, quickly!"

"What?" Martha said incredulously, dropping to her knees on the other side of the Doctor.

"Stasis chamber. You gotta keep me... below -200. Freeze it out of me!" Martha looked at McDonnell in disgust as the Doctor screamed again. Now sounding more scared than anguished, he said quickly, "It'll use me to kill you if you don't! The closer we get to the sun, the stronger -" he stopped, grimacing. "It gets. Med-center, quickly! Quickly!"

"Alright, you two. Help me get him to the med-center, now!" Lyssa ordered, raising her voice and putting one of the Doctor's arms over her shoulders. Quickly doing the same with the other one, Martha and Lyssa moved as fast as they could towards the med-center, followed by an anxious McDonnell and Ashton.

" _Impact in 7.30_ ," the computer announced behind them.

Rushing as fast as they could, Lyssa winced as the Doctor screamed when they broke through the plastic curtain acting as a door. "Martha, get the instruction manual, figure out how to use the stasis chamber. McDonnell, help me get him onto the bed!" Lyssa barked, the two woman scrambling to obey her orders.

"Lyssa?" the Doctor asked timidly, reaching out blindly. She grabbed his hand, clutching it in both of hers.

"I'm here, Doctor," she reassured him. Raising her voice, she asked Martha, "Have you figured it out yet?"

"I think so. Minus 200, yeah?" she confirmed.

"No, you don't know how this equipment works! You'll kill him! Nobody can survive those temperatures!" McDonnell protested.

"He's not human! If he says he can survive, then he can!" Martha shouted her down.

"Let me help then," she urged.

"You've done enough damage," Martha spat.

"Ten seconds," the Doctor panted. "That's all I'll be able to take. No more!" He screamed again. "Lyssa!"

"Yes, Doctor?" she said worriedly.

He retched. "It's burning me up! I can't control it! If you don't get rid of it -" his voice changed, growing darker, similar to Korwin's. " **I could kill you. I could kill you all**." He screamed, fighting back against it. "I'm scared! I'm so scared!" he whimpered, his voice dropping back to normal as the sun burned through him.

Martha looked over at him worriedly. "Just... stay calm. You saved me, now let me return the favor. Just... just believe in me," she urged.

Lyssa squeezed his hand tighter. "You'll be all right. Just hang on a little bit longer," she whispered.

He didn't seem to hear her. "It's killing me! Then what'll happen?"

"That's enough, we've got you. It's alright," Lyssa tried to soothe him.

"Martha. Lyssa knows this already, but there's this process. This... this thing... that happens... if I'm about to die," he tried to say.

"Shh... Quiet now. 'Cause that is not going to happen," she told him flatly. "You ready?" she asked him.

"No!" he answered, grimacing.

Looking upset, Martha flipped the lever that slid the Doctor back into the stasis chamber, Lyssa reluctantly letting go of his hands. Martha typed in the temperature and pressed the button to start the process, both girls wincing as he began to scream continuously.

" _Heat shields failing at five percent_ ," the computer said, before the power suddenly shut off in the stasis chamber, having only reached -70 degrees.

"No! Martha! You can't stop it! Not yet!" the Doctor shouted from inside the chamber, voice wracked with pain.

"What's happened?" Martha demanded.

"Power's been cut in engineering," McDonnell said shortly, tapping at a computer screen.

"But who's down there?" Martha asked.

"Korwin," Lyssa said, locking eyes with McDonnell.

"Leave it to me," she said, disappearing through the door.

"Ashton, go after her. Keep her from sacrificing herself, if you can," Lyssa ordered. He nodded, quietly following after his captain.

" _Impact in 4.47_ ," the computer continued to count down.

"Come on! You're defrosting!" Martha complained, banging the chamber with the side of her hand and trying to get it working again.

The Doctor cried out in pain. "Lyssa, Martha, listen! I've only got a minute! You've gotta go!" he begged.

"No way!" Martha replied staunchly.

"Get to the front! Vent the engines! Sun particles in the fuel! Get rid of them!" he said desperately.

"I'm not leaving you!" Martha refused.

"You've got too! Give back what they took!"

"Doctor!" Martha exclaimed.

He screamed. "Please! Go!"

"Martha, I'll stay here with him, look after him. Just go and get rid of the sun particles," Lyssa urged.

"I'll be back for you. _Both_ of you!" Martha promised before doing as Lyssa asked.

" _Impact in 4.08_."

"Just hang on, Doctor," Lyssa whispered. "Ashton and McDonnell should have it fixed in no time." There was no response from the chamber. She bit her lip, growing more nervous as the seconds passed; the fate of the captain all too visible in her mind.

" _Impact in 3.43_."

" _Everyone, I'm sorry._ " McDonnell's voice suddenly came on the intercom. " _Ashton's in the engine room. He's been injured, but he should be all right._ "

" _McDonnell!_ " Scannell shouted.

Lyssa ran over to the comm. unit. "McDonnell, don't do anything stupid," she pleaded. "We've almost fixed it. Just please, hold on!" The captain didn't respond.

" _Exterior airlock opened_ ," the computer said unfeelingly.

"No," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

" _Impact in 2.17_."

A thud from behind made her turn. The Doctor had fallen out of the stasis chamber and onto the floor. "Doctor?" she asked uncertainly, the tears spilling out onto her cheeks. He didn't answer, still fighting the sun inside him.

It seemed to be getting stronger, as he was thrown over the stasis chamber controls before being hurled to the floor, crying out in pain and trying to pull himself upright. She gasped, running to his side and trying to help him up. He summoned up all the strength he had left and pushed her desperately away from him.

"No! Stay back!" he shouted.

" _Survival element protection: zero percent_ ," the computer warned.

Lyssa stumbled back a few steps, following a few steps behind as he crawled out of the med-center. "Doctor, where are you going?" she asked worriedly.

He stopped. "I can't fight it, Lyssa," he said weakly.

She cast about desperately for something to say to keep him going. "Don't you dare give in," she ordered him firmly. "You've still got to... to... make it up to me for stealing my first kiss!" she finally shouted, spouting the first thing that came to mind.

"Wh-what?" he started, before doubling over in pain. He sat up suddenly, eyes wide open and glowing brightly. " **Burn with me, Lyssa. Burn with me** ," he said darkly. Lyssa gasped, backing up against the wall as he suddenly began screaming, beginning to glow with the brightness of the sun.

" _Impact in 1.06_."

Lyssa barely heard the computer over the Doctor's screams, clinging tightly to the wall. The ship lurched suddenly, sending her flying across to the other side of the corridor.

She regained her feet, only then noticing that the Doctor had stopped screaming. Her heart pounding, she looked over, seeing his eyes no longer glowing, though pain still wracked his features. The ship lurched again, getting more violent until Lyssa's grip gave way and sent her tumbling to the floor. Then all became still.

" _Impact averted. Impact averted_ ," the computer announced.

Lyssa lay on her back, panting. She slowly pulled herself to her knees and crawled over to the Doctor. "Doctor?" she asked, leaning over him.

He opened his eyes, now their usual brown, and looked up at her. "Lyssa?"

"Are you all right? Is it... gone?" she queried worriedly.

He grinned, sitting upright and drawing her into a tight hug. "It's gone," he reassured her. "I'm fine. Bit tired, but otherwise none the worse for the wear." He drew back a little. "Are you all right?" he returned the question.

She frowned in confusion. "Me? Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn't I be? I mean, I got thrown around a little bit, but I think I got off easier than you, so what does it matter?"

He looked at her seriously. "You always matter to me, Lyssa."

She felt her cheeks heat up. But she was saved from having to reply when Martha came running in, pulling up short when she saw them on the floor. "Oh, thank goodness you're both all right!" she exclaimed in relief, kneeling on the floor and hugging them both. "I was so worried. We could hear you on the intercom, and we thought... I thought..." She trailed off.

"Nope! You did it, Martha!" The Doctor grinned, still hugging them both. "Returned the particles to the sun, saved us both."

He released them and got to his feet, signs of the limits he had been pushed to still showing on his face. "Now, I'm assuming that the others are all right?" he addressed her.

Martha shrugged. "Abi and Scannell are with Riley in area 1. Ashton and McDonnell..." her eyes grew wide. "Oh my gosh. McDonnell said that Ashton had been hurt, and then..."

"And then she died, taking Korwin with her," Lyssa finished sadly. "I tried so hard, and she still died."

The Doctor looked back at her as they started moving towards the engine room for Ashton. "Well, did you save anyone who was supposed to die originally?"

She hesitated. "I guess. I mean, Abi was supposed to have been killed by Korwin in the med-center, and Ashton would've been infected by Korwin in an attempt to stop us sooner before getting killed by the crew. Erina still would've died, and the same with McDonnell," she finished dispiritedly.

"You can't always save everyone," the Doctor reminded her. "Some people have to die, in a certain place, at a certain time, and there's nothing you can do about it. It hurts, but we just have to keep moving forward, and save who we can, like you did."

"I guess," she said disbelievingly as they walked into the engine room. "Now. Where do you think Ashton could be at?" she asked, dismissing the subject.

"I found him!" Martha suddenly shouted, bending over behind one of the machines. Quickly joining her, they found Ashton lying on his back, unconscious, and a large bruise near his temple. Martha quickly checked him over. "He looks all right, just unconscious. Probably need to stay in a hospital for a while, though, or whatever version of them they have in space nowadays."

The Doctor turned on the comm. unit. "We've found Ashton in the engine room. He's unconscious, but otherwise unharmed."

Scannell responded immediately. " _That's some good news, at least. Abi and Riley are on their way now. I'm just sending out a mayday, then I'll join you there._ "

"Roger that," the Doctor turned the comm unit off as Abi and Riley rushed in. Abi immediately bent over Ashton, talking quietly with Martha.

After a few minutes, Scannell came in and joined the group, watching quietly until Martha rose to her feet. "There's nothing more we can do for him here. He's stable, and he should stay that way until help arrives," she said quietly.

Lyssa looked over at the Doctor. "I suppose we should get going, then?"

Riley looked at her in confusion. "Go? Go where? Your ship was in area 29. All the heat was vented in there. There's no way it didn't get damaged."

The Time Lord chuckled. "Ah, never underestimate my TARDIS. She'll surprise you every time." Riley shrugged, unconvinced.

"Secure closure should be off by now. We should be able to get in without any trouble, at least," Scannell piped up.

"Alright, then, shall we go?" the Doctor asked impatiently.

"Hold on, what about Ashton?" Lyssa interjected.

"I'll stay here with him. He shouldn't be moved in his condition. You guys go on ahead," Abi volunteered.

Lyssa hung back as the others filed out of the room, the Doctor and Martha nodding their good-byes. "It was nice meeting you," she said, smiling shyly.

Abi looked up at her and smiled back. "You too. You saved my life today. Korwin would've killed me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

Lyssa shook her head quickly. "Oh, I don't want repayment. Just... pass it on, I guess. If you see someone in need of help, offer it to them."

Abi nodded fervently. "I will, I promise. I've been thinking of joining the hospital back home. I think I'll try there. I've had enough of space for a lifetime. Good luck!" she called as Lyssa waved and left the room.

"You too!" she responded before walking to area 29.

It was much cooler by now. The TARDIS was standing, unharmed, right where they had left it, with Riley and Scannell admiring it while the Doctor and Martha made sure there was no damage.

"This is never your ship," Scannell remarked disbelievingly.

The Doctor grinned. "Compact, eh? And another good word, robust! Barely a scorch mark on her!"

Martha stopped walking, a look of concern on her face. "We can't just leave them drifting with no fuel," she objected.

"We've sent out an official mayday. The authorities will pick us up soon enough," Riley assured her.

"Though how we explain what happened..." Scannell trailed off.

"Just tell them the truth," the Doctor suggested, opening the door to the TARDIS. "That sun needs care and protection, just like any other living thing." Scannell nodded. The Doctor stepped into the TARDIS, followed close behind by Lyssa, who waved before stepping inside.

"Martha might be a minute," she smirked, picturing her and Riley kissing.

"All right," the Doctor said quietly, focusing on the console.

She frowned, opening her mouth to say something before looking down and realizing what she was wearing. "Oh my gosh. We almost flew into the sun, and I'm still wearing fuzzy pajamas and my ballet flats!" she exclaimed. "Seriously! How did I not notice that sooner? I'd forgotten about it completely."

She looked up when Martha popped in, beaming. "Didja hook up with Riley, then?" she asked with a grin.

"Oh, stuff it," the brunette companion told her good-naturedly. "So," she addressed the Doctor. "We didn't really need you in the end, did we?" She stopped, suddenly realizing how sad and distant he looked. "Sorry. How're you doing?"

The Doctor didn't answer, suddenly shaking off his previous low mood and becoming business-like. "Now! What do you say? Ice skating on the mineral lakes of Cuhlhan. Fancy it?"

The smile fell from Martha's face. "Whatever you like," she said unenthusiastically.

Lyssa gently kicked the Doctor with her foot and cleared her throat meaningfully.

He looked up and realized what was going on. "By the way, you'll be needing this," he said, pulling a TARDIS key on a long chain out of his pocket.

Her eyes grew wide. "Really?"

"Frequent flier's privilege," he told her, slowly feeding it into her hand before looking at her properly. "Thank you," he said seriously.

She smiled. "Don't mention it." He smiled back at her weakly, tinkering with the console. "Oh, no! Mum!" Martha suddenly shouted in realization, pulling out her phone and dialing. "Me again!" she said as her mother picked up the phone on the other end.

"Sorry about earlier. Over-emotional, mad day!" She paused, listening. "Yeah! Tonight. Do my best," she said weakly, eyeing the Doctor. "Umm, just remind me, what day is it again?" She paused again. "Right. Course. I'll be round for tea. Roughly." Her mother tried to say something, but she cut her off. "Anyway, gotta go. See you later! Love you!" She hung up smiling. "That's just -" She shook her head, still smiling.

"I don't know about you two, but before we do any ice skating, or whatever, I really want a shower," Lyssa spoke up. "It was incredibly hot in there, and I got super sweaty in these," she indicated her fuzzy pants.

Martha grinned. "Now that you mention it, I kind of want to cool off, too. Half an hour to clean up, then ice skating?" she asked the Doctor.

He rolled his eyes, but agreed. "All right, just don't take forever."

"Time machine! You never have to worry about being late!" Martha called blithely over her shoulder as she left the console room.

Lyssa grinned. "She's got a point, you know. So I don't know why you keep ending up so late wherever you go. Must be a Time Lord thing. Anyways, I'm gonna go shower, too," she said, turning to leave.

"Lyssa, wait." His voice was quiet.

She turned around curiously. "Yes?"

He hesitated. "Did I really steal your first kiss?"

* * *

 **A/N: I want to extend my prayers to everyone who lost someone in the tragedy at Las Vegas earlier this week. It is a horrible, awful reminder that there are terrible people out there, who hate goodness, but we will go on in spite of them. I don't even really know what else to say, but my prayers go out to everyone, and may such a horrible incident never be repeated.**

 **Story notes: Because it's not a real Doctor Who timeline travel romance without the cliche "The Doctor kisses the unaware OC at least once." Yeah, sorry not sorry. Well, I'm a little bit sorry, but it was needed for plot points down the line - I don't believe in making people kiss right after meeting outside of Disney for no reason.**

 **Also, I was looking over this chapter, and I just realized that when the Doctor said Korwin's internal body temperature was 100 degrees, he was likely talking in terms of Celsius. **I was thinking that 100F wasn't so bad, maybe just a mild fever. And then I realized that DW is a British show.** For those of you like me who can't immediately convert it, that's 212 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a _lot_ worse than 100F. 0.0  
**

 **Also, I think that this chapter is the single longest chapter I have ever written, at just over 6,000 words, without the author's note. Wow. That's a lot.**

 **But you know what's even better? 33 favorites and 53 follows, AND over 2,000 views! WOW! That's amazing! And huge shout-out to yellowroseofthenw, bwburke94, and E-man-dy-S for reviewing! And a few review responses:  
**

 _ **bwburke94: I like to think that I am... I haven't written out every episode yet, obviously, but I have plans set throughout the story, and I already know how I plan for this story, at least, to end. I'm also planning out the ultimate ending, so... it'll be quite a while before we reach that point, but I have so many plans it's crazy trying to keep track of them all. So, hopefully, the answer is yes. Good question, and thanks for asking!**_

 _ **yellowroseofthenw: Yes, the Doctor has a few secrets of his own, that will eventually be revealed...maybe... ;) And as for Lyssa's time sight, it will come into play every now and again...**_

 _ **E-man-dy-S: Thanks! Hope you like this one, too!**_

 **Next chapter will be an original one... hopefully everyone will like it.**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I can barely afford three Doctor Who seasons, and you think I own it? Thanks. ;) I don't...yet...**


	9. Chapter 9 - A Cold Welcome

Lyssa instantly felt her cheeks heat up. "What? Uh, no, no, you didn't," she said hastily, voice a bit too high-pitched to be normal. When he just looked at her, slightly skeptical, she got even more flustered. "All-all right, maybe it was my first kiss, but I just said that to try and keep you fighting, to distract you. I didn't think you'd even remember it," she finished weakly, twisting her fingers nervously.

He frowned. "Well, I did. And I want you to know, I'm sorry. You were in danger, and when I heard you scream, I thought -" he stopped.

"It-it's all right," she said hastily, desperate to be done with this conversation. "You-you were worried, it was just the heat of the moment, I-" she stopped, realizing what she had just said. "That really was a terrible pun, I'm sorry." The Doctor allowed himself a small smile before she returned to the main track of the conversation. "Anyways, I get it, it was just an accident, no big deal."

"Yes, it is a big deal," he said firmly. "I took your first kiss, and I didn't even ask first. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

She shook her head, face still pink. "Doctor, I-I'm not angry. It was a mistake, I get it. No harm done. I forgive you. There. We're done. No more talking about it. Problem solved."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, running a hand through his hair. "Well, if you say so..." he trailed off uncertainly.

She nodded vigorously. "I do. End of problem. Now, if you don't mind, I really want to take a shower and clean up before we go skating."

He nodded, an unfamiliar look - maybe relief? - in his eyes. "Best get going, then. Don't want to make Martha wait for you."

"You mean, make _you_ wait any longer than you have to?" she teased, sprinting up the steps to the hallway door.

"Oh, stop it," he ordered, a laugh in his voice.

She smiled as she walked through the door, stopping when she realized something. She hurried back into the room and hugged the Doctor from behind, wrapping her arms around him and making him stiffen in surprise before he realized who it was.

"Doctor?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" he said, sounding very confused.

"I'm... glad you're all right," she said, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks again. "And if... if someone had to be my first kiss, I'm... glad that it was you, at least, instead of someone I didn't know or trust." Then, before he could answer, or even turn around, she released him and fled back up the steps and down the halls to her room before shutting the door, sure that her face was now permanently red.

"I can't believe I just said that! You know that he likes Rose, and that he gets married to River Song!" she scolded herself. ' _But if he did, then why would he kiss you just because he was worried? He's had lots of companions, and he's never done that before,_ ' the other part of her brain retorted. She stuck her face in her hands with a groan. "Ugh! Let's just assume that it was just a one-time accident, and forget about it!" she finally declared, deciding to just get in the shower already.

xXx

She felt much more refreshed after her shower. Her hair had been thoroughly combed and dried, and was now much more manageable pulled back into a french braid. When she walked out of the bathroom, and into her bedroom, wondering what to wear, she found that that problem had already been solved for her.

All her regular clothes had been removed from her closet except for one outfit. Dark blue jeans, a purple sweater, a dark brown coat, and a tan scarf and hat sat folded next to a pair of thick warm socks, while white ice skates lay along the wall of her closet. She shrugged, quickly pulling on the clothes and a pair of boots she found behind the skates, slinging the skates over her shoulder before heading out to find the Doctor and Martha.

She found them both chatting quietly in the console room. The Doctor was virtually unchanged, with the exception of a pair of leather gloves on top of a pair of ice skates next to the door. Martha had earmuffs and a red coat, with black ice skates slung over her shoulder.

"Ah, Lyssa, you're here!" the Doctor cheered. "Now we can get going!"

"Took you long enough," Martha teased.

"You saw the state of my hair, I'd like to see you try and de-tangle that in under ten minutes," Lyssa fired back.

Martha shook her head and held up her hands in surrender. "Nah. My hair's hard enough to deal with as it is. I'll pass, thank you very much."

"If you two ladies are done discussing the state of your hair, I'd like to get going, if that's all right with you," the Doctor interrupted dryly. The two girls looked at each other and laughed.

"You may proceed, sir," Lyssa said, bowing dramatically before grabbing the railing in preparation for the bumpy flight as the Doctor sent them off into the Time Vortex. "Oh, hey, look! My hands are glowing again!" she exclaimed, holding up her hands, glittering with a golden light even through her cast.

"See, that's just so weird. How d'you get used to that?" Martha asked, stumbling after one particularly bumpy jolt.

Lyssa shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not used to it yet. This is only the second time it's happened. And I still don't fully understand how it works."

"It's the time stream running through your body. When it gets near other particles, it tries to reach them and pull them in," the Doctor explained, landing them with a bump. "But there's a lot more particles in the TARDIS than there are in you, so the particles end up being attracted to the TARDIS', which is why your hands glow sometimes when we're traveling through the Time Vortex. That's when you're the closest to it, so that's when it's the most active. And before you ask, it doesn't happen to me, just you. Time Lord's have time in their DNA, so to speak. Not the time stream."

Lyssa frowned, examining her now normal hands. "I guess that makes sense, in a you-have-the-Time-Vortex-running-through-you sort of way."

"Cheer up," the Doctor told her, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get used to it in no time. Now, if you're ready, the mineral lakes of Cuhlhan are out there waiting for us."

Lyssa grinned, stuffing her hands in the pocket of her coat. "Well, then, let's go. Hold up - what's this?" she asked in surprise, pulling her hands out of her pockets, a small ball of crumpled up fabric inside them.

The Doctor leaned over. "Looks like gloves to me."

"Gloves?" Lyssa frowned. "But what about this?" she asked, waving her cast in the air. "Won't it be too big to fit inside a glove?"

He looked at her hand before shaking his head dismissively. "Nah. If the TARDIS gave you the gloves, she probably made sure that they were big enough on the inside to fit." Lyssa held the gloves up skeptically before trying them on. Sure enough, though looking the same size as the other one, the glove fit smoothly over her cast, covering her fingers without feeling too tight.

She laughed in disbelief. "Well, would you look at that."

"There you go. I told you the TARDIS had taken care of it. Now, shall we go?" the Doctor asked impatiently, standing by the door with his gloves on, skates in hand.

"Well, someone's in a hurry," Martha remarked jokingly, following him out the door.

Lyssa stepped out the door after her, eyes widening when saw the scenery. In front of her were three large bodies of water, set in a triangle pattern, frozen solid, with large, snow-capped mountains in the background, the sky a light shade of purple, and trees dusted in a silvery snow dotting the landscape.

"It's so pretty," she breathed.

"Pretty? It's gorgeous," Martha replied, sounding awed as well.

The Doctor grinned, throwing his arms open wide, as if offering the place to them. "Welcome to the mineral lakes of Cuhlhan! Where the lakes stay frozen year round, and the weather never changes."

"Never? Really?" Martha asked, walking towards the foremost lake and sitting down on a bench to pull on her skates.

"Yep. Really," the Doctor confirmed, joining her on the bench. "The temperature stays constant, so the snow never melts, and a device called a Zelp placed at the top of the mountains keeps any more snow from being produced. The officials smooth down the snow and ice daily so that it seems fresh each day. In reality, each snowflake is likely several hundred years old at the least."

"That's crazy." Lyssa commented, shaking her head and plopping down next to Martha to put on her skates. "So why are they called the mineral lakes? Is there some mineral in there that's good for you, or worth a lot of money or something?"

The Doctor tilted his head to the side thoughtfully as he stood up on his skates experimentally. "Well, sort of. Way back a couple centuries or so, news got out that the minerals in the lake had incredible rejuvenating powers. Could even make you younger, or so the rumors said. But once word got out, the planet got mobbed. Thousands of people swarming the planet, trying to get some of the water for themselves. There were even rumors of some races trying to get control of the entire planet, just to have the water all to themselves.

"So to get control of the situation, the Cuhlhan officials froze all the lakes solid. Forever. Completely useless, as you can't chip or melt the ice. And once they'd done that, it was like a switch had been flipped. Everyone disappeared, and the officials decided to turn their now-frozen lakes into a money-making opportunity."

Lyssa snorted, getting shakily to her feet on the ice. "Of course they would. So does that mean that it costs money to skate here?"

The Doctor shook his head, holding out a hand to steady her as Martha joined them on the ice. "No, they've just set up a resort around it. Even though it's frozen, the lake air is still good for you, so a lot of sick people will come here to recover. That's how they make their money. Most people who come here end up staying a few days."

"Will we?" Lyssa asked, slowly starting to make her way around the edge of the lake.

"I dunno. If you want to," the Doctor said amiably, keeping pace with her. "Are you doing all right?"

"Fine; I'm just new to skating," Lyssa answered, arms held out for balance as she wobbled.

"Really?" he asked in surprise. "I've seen you do it in the past, and quite well, too."

"I probably learn how to do it sometime in the future," Lyssa informed him, keeping her eyes on the ice in front of her. "But right now, I've only done it once before, so I'm gonna be slow for a while until I get into the flow, so you can go on ahead if you want, Martha. You too, Doctor."

"Are you sure?" the medical student asked, skating smoothly alongside them.

Lyssa smiled. "I'm sure. It'll take me a bit to figure it out. You go on ahead."

"If you're sure, then," Martha said uncertainly. When Lyssa nodded, she shrugged and waved good-bye, skating ahead and quickly getting lost to sight among all the other skaters.

"I've always wanted to be able to ice skate like that," Lyssa commented wistfully, watching her leave.

"Well, you've got the chance now," the Doctor told her.

She grinned, stumbling slightly before regaining her footing. "I guess I do. And I meant what I said earlier. You can go on ahead," she repeated.

"I don't want to leave you here all on your own," the Doctor objected.

Lyssa raised an eyebrow. "You let Martha go ahead on her own," she pointed out. "Now, come on. I'll be fine on my own until I get the hang of it, and you'll probably get bored before too long anyways, slowing yourself down so much."

"I won't get bored," he objected.

She snorted. "Sorry, Doctor. This may only be my third trip, but I know that you prefer life in the fast lane. I'll catch up to you soon enough. Now, shoo. I'll be fine," she urged him.

He shrugged. "Alright, but I'll be back to check on you," he informed her, now skating backwards.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay. Now, you're just showing off. Just scoot. I'll see you in a bit." He grinned before turning around and racing off at a speed that belied his previous claim.

She chuckled, then tripped and fell on her knees after taking her eyes off the ice. "Are you all right, Miss?" a young woman asked her, skating up and extending a hand.

"Thanks," Lyssa said gratefully, clambering to her feet. "Should've watched where I was going," she commented ruefully, swiping a bit of snow off her knees.

"Oh, that's fine. We were all newbies once," the newcomer said. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Sandira Zlerch. I'm here on vacation."

Lyssa smiled, offer a hand to the woman, who appeared to be human, if not slightly taller than normal. "I'm Lyssa Devons. Here with some friends. Thanks for helping me up."

Sandira smiled, brushing a blonde lock of hair back behind her head. "Of course. Anyone would've done it. Well... maybe not those people over there." She pointed to a couple near the middle of the lake. "They'd probably push you down to start with. You might want to avoid those people."

Lyssa wrinkled her nose. "Eesh. Yeah, I might take you up on that offer. They don't sound very nice."

Sandira shook her head, the bells on her large earrings tinkling. "They're not. It's very strange. When they first got here, they were very polite. Then, after they stayed at the resort for a few days, they became very rude. Complete personality turn-around."

"Did you not stay at the resort, too?" Lyssa asked, picking up on the implied information. Sandira pursed her lips and shook her head.

"My husband and I wanted to camp outside while we were here. But they were very nice when we first met them, and now they act like they've never seen us before, and worse, like we're the scum beneath their feet!" she finished in a huff.

Lyssa nodded slowly. "I will... definitely keep that in mind. Thank you."

Sandira nodded in return, before turning when someone in the distance called her name. "Oh, I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my group. Have a good day!"

"You too!" Lyssa called cheerfully, waving good-bye as the older woman skated away.

She smiled to herself as she slowly began skating again, this time watching where she was going. ' _Well, that was kind of weird, but at least she was nice_ ,' she thought, before dismissing the subject from her mind and focusing on keeping her balance.

Half an hour later, she had finally gotten into a rhythm and was skating smoothly, if not quickly, around the lake. She grinned, feeling more relaxed than she had been for a very long time as the breeze blew past her face, making her forget the stress she had been hiding.

Passing by the point where they had gotten onto the lake, she was relieved to see their shoes where they had left them. The Doctor had told them that it was supposedly a crime-free planet, but having been raised on a planet where crimes did happen, she couldn't help but try and keep an eye on them, as she didn't fancy a trek back to the TARDIS in just her socks.

She kept skating for another two hours, occasionally seeing both the Doctor and Martha as they passed her, the Doctor usually talking up a storm with some passerby. She finally stopped for a break near their belongings, trying to catch her breath when the Doctor skated up.

"Are you done skating already?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. We've been skating for several hours, so I stopped to take a breather. What about you?"

He shrugged back at her. "Saw you stopped, thought I'd check in on you, see what you thought of it so far."

She smiled. "I love it. The scenery is gorgeous, and the temperature is just right, so that I don't get too cold, or too hot from all this exercising -" Her words ended in a grunt when a passing skater ran into her, sending her sprawling, before continuing on their way without so much as a backward glance.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked, helping her up and scowling at the retreating back of the offender.

She sighed, once again wiping the snow off her clothes. "I'm fine, thanks. And to finish my earlier statement, the only downside so far is that the people could be a little friendlier."

The Doctor frowned. "I've noticed that, too. It's a little disappointing, to be honest. This is supposed to be one of the friendliest planets in the galaxy."

"Well, I did meet one very nice woman called Sandira. Very polite, told me that she was camping here on vacation," Lyssa admitted. "But she also warned me to avoid some of the people here. Apparently, they were nice when they first got here, stayed at the resort for a few days, and now wouldn't give you the time of day."

The Doctor frowned again. "That's odd. Maybe they didn't like their rooms?" he joked.

"Hey, look! There's Martha!" Lyssa said suddenly, pointing towards the young medical student racing towards them.

She pulled up to a stop in front of them breathlessly. "You'll never believe what I just heard! I was skating by the other side of the lake when I over heard an older couple talking about how much things had changed since they last came here years ago. They said that the resort workers are very cold and rude; and after a day or two at the resort, all their companions became insufferably rude, even if they had been the nicest person in the world beforehand. And the old man even complained about hearing weird noises in the middle of the night, and seeing strange lights coming from the resort!" Martha finished in a rush.

Lyssa blinked, trying to process the surge of information. The Doctor frowned, having managed to follow along with what Martha was saying. "Well, that's certainly odd," he remarked.

"Maybe just a bit suspicious," Martha agreed.

"Perhaps we should stay at the resort tonight, instead of the TARDIS?" Lyssa suggested.

"Why not?" the Doctor grinned, pulling out his psychic paper. "I think we're due a little vacation, don't you?"

xXx

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Lyssa told Martha, collapsing onto the couch in the sitting room they shared. The Doctor had gotten them a two-room suite, and another for himself next door, although Lyssa rather doubted that he'd be doing any sleeping.

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry too," Martha admitted. "But I think that supper will be served soon. What do you think of the rooms?" she asked.

Lyssa shrugged, looking around the spacious room, tastefully decorated in blue and brown colors. "It's pretty nice, although my room on the TARDIS is better. Not that I'm complaining," she said hastily. "It really is nice, and far better than my old room. It just... I don't know. Everything seems so..."

"Cold?" Martha supplied.

Lyssa allowed herself a smile. "I guess. Or maybe 'impersonal' is a better word."

"No, no, I feel it too," Martha assured her. "And it's a little strange that a resort would give its guests such an icy welcome. But maybe that's just how the people are on this planet? But anyways, how does it feel to have your hand free?" she asked, changing the subject.

Lyssa grinned, looking down at her now cast-free hand. They had stopped by the TARDIS on their way to the resort to grab what they would need for the stay, and the Doctor had taken the opportunity to scan Lyssa's hand one last time and remove her cast, declaring her to be fully healed. "It feels weird. I mean, I know I only had it on for a few days, but I'd already become used to the immovability of it. And now," she wiggled her fingers, "now it feels all weird being able to move them again."

Martha chuckled. "You're telling me. I broke my right arm when I was twelve. And I didn't have any futuristic medicine, so I had to wear my cast for a good six weeks - and it got extremely itchy after about a week. So consider yourself lucky," she warned.

"Don't worry," Lyssa laughed. "I do."

There was a knock at the door. "Supper should be ready soon, so it would probably be a good idea to head down to the dining room soon," the Doctor called through the door.

Lyssa hurried to open it, Martha right behind her. "Don't worry - I'm starved! The sooner we get to eat, the better!" she exclaimed. The Doctor grinned, leading them downstairs to the dining room, a large area with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and windows over looking the three lakes along the wall.

Choosing a table, the three of them sat down, and were quickly offered menus by an unsmiling waiter, who offered to get them some waters before disappearing. "Any suggestions on what to order, Doctor?" Lyssa asked, looking over the unfamiliar food suggestions.

The Doctor had been looking after the waiter thoughtfully, but turned to her with a start when she spoke to him. "Sorry, what? Oh." He picked up his menu and looked over it. "Most of the items should be fine. If you're looking for something similar to Earth food, then I'd suggest the Alceda. It's basically lasagna with extra sauce. But if you're looking to be a bit more adventurous, then I recommend the Lyrtical."

"What is it?" Martha asked curiously.

He shrugged. "Basically it's seafood with a spicy sauce and noodles. If you're feeling even more daring, then you can get it with the shell still attached, and peel it off yourself. Bit of warning though, the shell is somewhat... odorous, and the smell tends to hang around."

"Ugh," Martha wrinkled her nose. "I think I'll just stick with the regular style. I like spice, not stink. What about you, Lyssa?"

Lyssa shrugged. "I've always liked lasagna, might as well go with that, see if it's anything like what I'm used to." The conversation stalled temporarily as their waiter returned with their drinks and a bowl of rolls as an appetizer, and took their orders; the Doctor ordering some kind of soup.

"The smell's not that bad, Martha," he told her, taking a sip of his water. "In fact, several species find it attractive, so a lot of people looking for a date will order it."

Martha wrinkled her nose again. "Yeah, I think I'm good being single right now. I don't really want to date anyone who likes me because I smell like some kind of dead fish."

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna have to agree with Martha on this one," Lyssa interjected, raising her glass of water and tilting it at Martha.

The Doctor chuckled ruefully. "Can't say I exactly disagree with you. Although, there are other species out there, like the Kalorax, who will decide whether or not they want to have a relationship with you based solely on the fact of whether or not your shoe color matches their clothes when you meet them." He nodded with a grin at the looks on their faces. "Yeah, sounds rather shallow, I know. But, if you have the luck to befriend a Kalorax, then you've got a friend for life. And they're some of the most loyal people out there."

Lyssa raised her eyebrows. "Seems like a rather risky idea to base an entire relationship on something as chance as that."

The Doctor tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Well, it may not be as chance as you think. The Kalorax believe that colors represent a part of your soul, and can tell a lot about who you are as a person. And as such, if your shoe color matches their clothes, they believe that you have similar tastes and ideals, making you someone they want to know. Why they believe that only shoe colors are an honest tell, I could not tell you. They didn't seem interested in sharing that bit of information."

Lyssa shrugged, grabbing a roll from the bowl of appetizers at their table and taking a bite. "To each his own, I guess. I'm gonna stick with waiting until I get to know a person before sharing all my secrets with them, though."

"Fair enough," the Doctor chuckled.

They had been waiting almost twenty minutes for their food when their waiter showed up at their table with a tray, actually showing a few signs of emotion this time. "We must apologize for the delay in you receiving your food, and offer you a glass of some of our finest wine as an apology," he said respectfully, placing a wine glass filled a pale liquid before each of them. "Your food should be out shortly," he informed them before gliding smoothly out of the room.

They all looked at each other in surprise. "Well, that was unexpected," Lyssa commented, eyeing her new glass warily.

Martha cautiously took a sip of hers, her expression changing as she did so. "It tastes great," she informed the others, taking another sip.

Lyssa wrinkled her nose, pushing her glass slightly towards the brunette companion. "You can have mine, if you want. I won't drink it."

The Doctor tried a sip of his before making an expression of distaste and pushing his towards Martha as well. "You can have mine, too. Don't know how you can drink it, it tastes all wrong."

Martha looked at the three glasses in front of her and laughed ruefully, dropping her head. "These aren't gonna get me drunk, are they?" she asked warily.

The Doctor thought for a minute before shaking his head. "Cuhlhan is a peaceful resort planet. Violence is very discouraged here, so all their wine has been carefully made to ensure you stay in control of yourself. In fact, one of the chemicals in the wine can actually act like a sedative in large amounts."

When he saw Martha's alarmed look, he added hastily, "But don't worry. Three glasses aren't enough to effect you. The amount in these glasses combined will just make sure you sleep through the night, that's all."

Martha eyed the glasses skeptically. "You're sure about that?"

He shrugged. "Mostly. But I'll give it a quick scan, just in case, if it that'll help you feel better."

She nodded emphatically. "Yeah, it really would."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and and discreetly scanned the wine, checking the results before returning it to his pocket. "That's odd," he frowned. "There's a small amount of sedative in each of the glasses. Not a dangerous amount, but enough to ensure a good night's sleep once you went to bed per glass. But why would they need that? They're already designed to put you to sleep in large amounts. Why make it so you'll fall asleep after only one glass?"

"Can they do that?" Lyssa asked in alarm. "I mean, they're basically drugging their guests."

Martha looked around the room. "Looks like it's not the first time," she commented, pointing at a sign on the far wall. " _In order to reduce violence and unruly behavior, and to ensure a restful sleep for all guests who partake of alcoholic beverages, a trace amount of_ _Xenopolenthyl_ _has been added to each glass of wine by a certified physician_ ," she read aloud, stuttering over the unfamiliar word.

"Yeah, I'm familiar with that compound. It's harmless on its own. You'll still be in complete control of your senses, you'll just sleep the night through," the Doctor said nonchalantly. "Must've had some sort of incident that made them change to this procedure instead."

Martha thought about it for a minute before shrugging and taking another drink of her wine. "A good night's rest won't hurt, and I'm not one to turn down good wine. I think I'll just have the one though, just in case."

Lyssa bit back a smile. "Yeah, I think I'll stick with my water, thanks."

"Suit yourself," Martha shrugged.

The Doctor looked around the room. "Looks like the wine was a popular drink tonight. Almost every table has it."

"Your food," their waiter said, materializing out of nowhere.

"Thank you," Lyssa said with a smile as a plate filled with steaming food was set before her. The waiter said nothing, merely taking the now empty appetizer bowl and disappearing again. "Well, I feel welcome here," Lyssa said sarcastically.

Martha grinned, cutting a bite of meat from her plate and eating it. Her eyes widened. "Wow. This is really good. How's your lasagna, Lyssa?"

Lyssa looked down at her plate, the sauce practically ladled on top of the lasagna, and took an experimental bite. "It's not quite as good as some I've had on earth, but it still tastes good. What'd you get, Doctor?"

The Doctor looked down at his bowl of orange soup, dabbled generously with small green spheres. "It's supposed to be Zlorp soup. It's not that bad, but like Lyssa said, I've had better."

Martha smirked, taking another drink of her wine. "Too bad you guys didn't get what I ordered. You're missing out."

Lyssa rolled her eyes. "Not really. I'm not a huge fan of spicy foods, or wine, so I think I'm doing just fine."

One of the other patrons, who had been sitting at a nearby table, leaned over. "I couldn't help but overhear your previous conversation. You don't have to worry about the wine having any negative side effects. They offer it to every guest every evening at either a discount price, or on the house. It's their way of showing hospitality, I believe. I've never had it, but my son Robert has. It's completely safe, right Robert?"

His son, a young man in his early twenties, didn't even look up from his plate. "Whatever."

The older man sighed. "I must apologize for my son. Ever since we've come here, he seems to have lost his manners. He's not normally like this."

"Oh, it's quite all right, Mister...?" The Doctor assured him.

"Dinklage," the old man said. "I'm James Dinklage."

The Doctor grinned. "I'm the Doctor, this is Martha, and that's Lyssa. We're not going to have any of the wine, but Martha is, so thanks for the reassurances."

Mr. Dinklage nodded. "Of course. I think that I might try a glass of wine myself tonight, see how I like it."

"It's quite good," Martha told him. "I don't think you'll regret it."

"Famous last words," Lyssa muttered to the Doctor with a laugh.

"Yeah, but what if he doesn't regret it, and we do?" he returned.

Lyssa shrugged. "I've never regretted not drinking alcohol before, so now, I guess it's just a case of who regrets it first."

xXx

"Sleep well, Martha," Lyssa called, opening the door to her bedroom back in their suite.

"I plan to," Martha returned with a grin. "Night!"

"Night!" Lyssa repeated, shaking her head fondly as the medical student shut the door. Shutting off the light in the sitting room, she closed the door to her bedroom, shut off the light, and crawled into the bed. After eating supper, they had explored the resort for a bit, finding the sauna and gym, before deciding to go to bed early, exhausted after their long day.

Unfortunately, though she was bone-weary, Lyssa couldn't fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was the Doctor, screaming in pain, or the crew members screaming in terror as they were killed by Korwin.

She shook her head, trying to dispel the negative thoughts, but soon found her thoughts returning to the same subject, no matter what she did. She finally fell into a restless sleep after several hours, only to jerk awake a short time later, gasping after an unpleasant nightmare. She hastily got out of bed, not wanting to be alone, and walked out of the room, gently tapping on Martha's door to see if she was awake.

When there was no response, she gently pushed the door open, feeling slightly concerned after the wine Martha had drunken earlier and wanting to check on the med student. "Martha?" she whispered. There was no answer. She tried again, a little louder. Still no answer. Feeling even more concerned now, she flipped on the light. Her eyes went wide. The bed was empty, and Martha was nowhere in sight.

* * *

 **A/N: Xenopolenthyl is my creation, so as far as I know, it has no basis in reality. Just saying. Also, I had planned on fitting this into one chapter, but when I started to write it out, it ended up needing two, so the conclusion should come out next week.  
**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Arashi -IV of VI and Redco20 for reviewing!  
**

 ** _Arashi - IV of VI:_ we haven't seen the last of the kiss yet, but... let's just say that either way, the Doctor was glad that it was he who gave her her first kiss instead of someone else. He just wishes it were under better circumstances! ;) _  
_**

 ** _Redco20:_ Thanks! It's good to know that my characters aren't wildly OOC! :) _  
_**

 ** _Is Lyssa going to get a catchphrase?_ Hmm...maybe. Not yet, at least. _  
_**

 ** _How do I feel about the new Doctor?_ I haven't seen anything past Season 9, like I said, and I won't be including anything past that in my story, but I have heard that they made the new Doctor female. I know this is a sensitive subject, so I'll just be brief and say that I never wanted a female Doctor for a variety of reasons. But it doesn't matter too much, since everything after Season 9 will be AU in my story anyways, so... Hope that makes sense. :)  
**

 ** _And finally, what kind of pet would Lyssa have if she could have one?_ Probably something small, cute, fluffy, and non-venomous.  
**

 **Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing, I love seeing all the responses. Hope you all enjoy! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: Lyssa is my creation, but Doctor Who has been around for longer than I've been alive...That's time-travel for you, huh!**


	10. Chapter 10 - An Icy Resort

"Martha?" she called, her voice rising in concern. After fully making sure that Martha wasn't in the room, she hurried back into the sitting room, biting her lip in concern. She pulled up short when she saw that the door, which had been locked earlier, was now unlocked; and a paper brochure lay on the couch where it had not been before. She picked it up and read it curiously, her shoulders sagging in relief as she did so.

It was a list of benefits the resort had to offer, and there, on the very first page, was an ad for their 24-hour cafe that offered drinks all night, such as the wine they had been offered earlier, coffee, and hot chocolate. She sighed, realizing that Martha must not have been able to sleep and gone for some hot chocolate to help her relax.

"So much for sleeping like a baby," she muttered, dropping the brochure back onto the couch. She made a mental note to tease her about it in the morning, then turned to go back to bed. The darkness in the open doorway made her hesitate, however, bringing back all the unpleasant memories she had tried to forget.

She looked back at the brochure, considering going down and joining Martha, then dismissed the thought. As much as she didn't want to be alone right now, she also didn't really want to be surrounded by multiple people or have to socialize. She bit her lip, trying to think of some way to pass the time until Martha came back.

A muffled thump from the next room made her jump before relaxing as she realized it came from the Doctor's room. She rolled her eyes, wondering what he was doing before contemplating joining him. He clearly wasn't going to be going to bed anytime soon, as evidenced by a few more thumps.

She put her hand on the door handle then stopped, realizing that she probably looked like a mess, especially with her puffy eyes and white face. Hurrying into the bathroom, she quickly scrubbed her face and ran a brush through her hair. Her eyes were still puffy, but there wasn't much she could do about that.

She had fallen asleep in a large t-shirt and sweatpants that she had brought from the TARDIS, and decided that that would be good enough. Grabbing a blanket from her room for warmth, she scribbled a quick note of explanation for Martha in case the girl returned before she did, and left it on her pillow, shutting her bedroom door behind her.

She crept out into the hallway and quietly shut the door, not wanting to disturb her neighbors; leaving it unlocked in case Martha forgot her key, and making sure that her own was tucked securely into her pocket. Wrapping the blanket a little tighter around her shoulders, she nervously tapped on the door to the Doctor's suite, suddenly wondering if this was a good idea.

She didn't have a chance to change her mind, however, as the Doctor swung the door open a moment later, sonic screwdriver in hand and his glasses on, looking curious once he spotted her.

"Lyssa! What are you doing up this late? I didn't wake you up, did I?" he asked worriedly.

She shook her head, a small smile appearing on her face. "No. But I couldn't sleep, and, um, a few thumps from your room seemed to indicate that you weren't sleeping either, so I thought I'd come over. I... had a bad dream, and didn't really want to be alone right now," she confessed awkwardly, looking down at the ground.

"Oh! Of course!" he agreed, looking a bit concerned. He stepped back from the doorway to let her in, rubbing the back of his head. "What about Martha?" he asked as she walked in. "Not that I want you to leave," he added hastily. "You're always welcome; I just thought you might have gone to her first. Or was she sleeping?" he added as an afterthought, seeming to recall that most people sleep through the night.

Lyssa shrugged as the Doctor shut the door behind her with a click. "I did. Tapped on her door lightly in case she was sleeping, but there was no answer. So I went in, to make sure she was all right, you know; what with the wine, and all. But she wasn't there."

"Not there?" the Doctor repeated in surprise, furrowing his brow. "Where was she?"

Lyssa shrugged, sitting down on one of the couches. "I don't know, but I saw a brochure that mentioned a 24-hour cafe that sold coffee and hot chocolate and stuff. So I figured that she probably couldn't sleep, and went there. Then I heard the thumps coming from your room, and thought I'd come here rather than wait for Martha all by myself, seeing as you were still up."

"So much for the wine helping you sleep," the Doctor joked, before stopping to turn and stare at her. "Hold on. Did you say you heard the sound coming from my room?"

"Yeah...?" Lyssa said slowly, wondering what was strange about that. "It was pretty muffled, so I'm probably the only one who heard it, if you were worried about waking the others up. The sound pretty clearly came from here, though, so I figured you were just fiddling with something heavy and dropped it a couple times."

"It didn't come from my room," the Doctor told her seriously. "In fact, I heard it coming clearly from the room on the other side of mine, and yours. I was pretty sure the two of you would be asleep, so I was using my sonic to scan for it when you came in."

"Wait... but I definitely heard it coming from your room," Lyssa protested. "But if it wasn't you... then what was it?"

The thumping sound came again, this time from above them. They both looked up, the Doctor leaping onto the couch and holding his sonic up to it and scanning, hoping to find an answer.

"What is it?" Lyssa asked worriedly, watching him.

He didn't answer, hopping down and putting his sonic away. "I think we need to find Martha," he said at last.

Lyssa stood up, dropping the blanket from her shoulders onto the chair. "I think you're right," she agreed, following him to the door.

He placed his hand on the handle and tried to open it, but failed. "It's locked? But I thought you left it open," Lyssa said.

The Doctor frowned. "I did. And look -" he pointed at the locking mechanism. "Technically, it's still unlocked. At least..." He paused, taking his sonic screwdriver back out and scanning the door. "It is on our end." He held up the sonic and read the results, his face filling with confusion. "What? But how?"

"What is it?" Lyssa asked, looking at him.

"It's deadlock-sealed," he said incredulously, still staring at it.

"But-but how? When?" Lyssa said in shock. "I mean, when I got up, our door was already unlocked. I thought that that was Martha. And your door was unlocked - you were able to open it from the inside to let me in. Why's it suddenly deadlock-sealed now?"

The Doctor frowned. "I don't know. But..." He looked at her carefully. "Whoever did it waited until we were both inside this room to lock the door."

Lyssa felt goosebumps rise along her skin. "Then that means that they were watching us," she realized.

"Could have been," the Doctor admitted. "But there's something else that's even more concerning."

Lyssa paused, then said, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but what's that?" The thumping sounded again from below.

The Doctor pointed to the noise. "That. I don't know what's causing it, but whenever it happens, particles of Bestril 8 get released into the general atmosphere around the resort. Not enough to cause any damage by itself, but the only way that Bestril 8 is even formed at all is by mass production of Bestril itself."

"And... what's Bestril?" Lyssa asked uncertainly.

The Doctor looked at her seriously. "It's got multiple uses, none of them good. In its undiluted form, it's deadly poison. If it's diluted with the right chemicals, though, it has the ability to basically wipe your mind of everything that makes you, you. And once you're gone, they can use whatever they want to replace you in its place. Very easy to get anything done when you've got a willing slave. Just a couple of doses of Bestril with the right mix, and bang! They're all yours."

Lyssa's eyes went wide as a horrible thought struck her. "Doctor... what kind of chemicals would you mix with it?"

He shrugged, not hearing the concern in her voice. "There's a few that work best with it. Detrun, Xenopolenthyl, good old Carbon Dioxide..."

"Doctor!" Lyssa said urgently, getting his attention.

He looked over at her. "What?"

"Xenopolenthyl?" she repeated. "The same stuff that was in the wine they offered us for free tonight?"

He stopped, eyes widening as he made the same connection she had. "The wine. The wine! Of course!" he shouted. He continued in a quieter tone when Lyssa hastily shushed him. "Fifteen to twenty minutes is a normal delay in most nicer restaurants. People expect that, not free food in compensation. But if you need people to ingest this compound, what's the best way to do it?" he asked.

Lyssa shrugged, frowning. "I don't know. Disguise it, and offer it to them in such a way that they can't refuse?"

He nodded. "Like their best wine on the house," he pointed out. "But they can't mix the compound in there, it'd be too obvious." He frowned, thinking it through. "But, they put the Xenopolenthyl in the wine, you drink it, you sleep the night through. Heavy sleep, no dreams."

"And making it hard to notice if they were to sneak in and do anything," Lyssa realized. "Doctor... how exactly would they mix this Bestril stuff with the Xenopolenthyl? After all, they've all already drunk the wine."

He paced the room, frowning. "Well, once they're sedated, all you have to do is introduce the Bestril into their bloodstream. It'll travel along harmlessly until it comes into contact with whatever drug they've already taken. Then it'll start doing a mass wipe of the brain, starting with your emotions. Your loyalties, what you love, what you hate... everything that combines to form who you are as a person," he explained.

"You still have your memories, but once the process is completed, you're completely malleable to whatever they want you to be. It was first developed by the Chazriken, a warrior race who used it to start taking over other cultures from the inside. They were finally defeated after a long and bloody war when their supply of Bestril was destroyed. Only half of those of who were 'brainwashed,' so to speak, were able to be rehabilitated. The other half..."

"What?" Lyssa asked nervously, feeling a small niggle of worry start to form at his hesitation to answer.

"The other half were wiped out after being deemed unable to be rehabilitated, and a threat to other species as a result of their treatment," he finally answered.

Lyssa gasped. "That's horrible! They didn't have to do that!" A thought struck her. "Doctor, Martha's out there! She drank the wine, but she wasn't in her bed! They must have taken her!" she cried.

"And locked us in when they realized that we weren't asleep," the Doctor finished, gesturing at the door.

"Well, what about the window?" Lyssa asked desperately, worried about the girl she had only met for the first time earlier that day, and already liked.

The Doctor shrugged, obviously not holding out much hope. "We can try," he agreed, leading the way to his bedroom, where the still-made bed showed no signs of having been touched, let alone slept in. The Doctor struggled with the window for a minute before scanning it with his sonic. "Deadlock-sealed, same as the door," he said in defeat. "We're locked in here until whoever did this decides to let us out."

"Doctor, look!" Lyssa pointed suddenly, eyes wide. Outside the window, at the far end of the building, flashes of green and yellow could occasionally be seen flashing through the windows, lighting up the snow outside. And every so often there would be a few thumps from varying directions.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, watching the room for several seconds before turning away and sighing, running a hand through his hair. "Well, that's that, I guess. Nothing we can do about it in here. Unless..." he trailed off, eyeing the lamp on the table next to his bed.

Lyssa quirked an eyebrow. "What?" she asked, when it was clear that he wasn't going to finish his sentence.

He grinned. "I don't know yet, but it's going to be good!"

He busied himself for the next half hour by systematically grabbing and dismantling the lamp, a fan, what appeared to be a futuristic version of an alarm clock, and an egg timer he found in one of his pockets. Lyssa had offered to help, but gave up after being thoroughly confused by the alarm clock and what she was supposed to do with it; and ended up curled on the couch with her blanket, watching him fiddle with various bits and pieces. They talked for a bit, periodically checking on the door, but gradually grew quiet as the Doctor started to assemble something from the mess on the floor.

Lyssa felt her eyes start to grow heavy as she watched him. He looked up and smiled when he caught her watching him instead of the gadget in his hands, but she was too tired to even bother reacting. He started to sing softly as he worked, a gentle tune both quiet and soothing; the words in the song blending together into a melody she could almost comprehend, but not quite. She was still trying to figure them out when she fell asleep.

xXx

"Lyssa, wake up. It's just a nightmare, you're all right!" the voice broke through her dreams as her eyes suddenly flew open with a gasp. Startled, she stared at the Doctor, who was leaning over her, his hands on her shoulders. He sat back once he realized she was awake. "Sorry about the rude awakening," he apologized, eyes concerned. "But you were having a nightmare, and it seemed like a pretty bad one."

She sat up slowly, not looking him in the eyes. "Yeah, it wasn't... it wasn't fun. Thanks for waking me up, but uh... sorry I bothered you."

"It's fine," he assured her, still watching her closely. "It was no bother at all, really."

She looked away, frowning when she realized that daylight from the still-opened bedroom door was shining in. "What time is it? How long have I been asleep?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Seven hours, fourteen minutes, and twenty-three seconds. And it's roughly ten o'clock in the morning," the Doctor informed her.

Her eyes widened. "And we're still locked in?"

He shook his head. "No, it got unlocked at about six this morning."

She frowned. "Then how come you're still here?"

He looked at her like the answer was obvious. "Because you needed the sleep and I wasn't going to leave you in here alone when I knew that at least one person in the building appeared to be willing to drug innocent people."

He shrugged. "Besides, my Bestril-detector still needed some fine-tuning."

She finally cracked a smile. "Does it go 'ding!' when there's stuff?" she teased.

He pursed his lips. "No. But that sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll do that the next time I have to build one," he thought out loud.

Lyssa snickered, getting to her feet. "Let me know how that works out for you. I'm gonna go change into something that'll blend in a little better with a fancy restaurant, then we can go look for Martha. Sound good?"

"Sure," the Doctor agreed, running his sonic over the detector before taking off his glasses and putting them away. "I'll be waiting for you when you're done."

"All right," Lyssa said, grabbing her blanket and opening the door.

Carefully shutting it behind her, she pulled out her key and unlocked her own door, only realizing after she had shut it that she had left the door unlocked when she left last night. Frowning, she made sure it was locked before hurrying into her room and locking that door as well. Pulling out her bag, she quickly changed into a bright blue sweater with silver designs that matched her necklace - which she realized she had yet to take off - and blue jeans, pulling on knee-length boots over them.

Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she stepped out of the room and stopped in surprise when she saw Martha sitting calmly on the couch reading a book. "Martha?" she exclaimed incredulously. "When did - where have you been? I woke up last night, and you were gone!"

"I woke up and wanted something to drink," Martha said calmly, not looking up from her book. "So I went to the cafe that's open all night and got some more of the wine that I'd had last night. Finished it, came back, and went to bed."

"Martha, the Doctor and I've been worried sick! I went to talk to him last night and we both got locked in his suite. And he found out that that wine that you've been drinking -"

"I'm trying to read," Martha interrupted irritably.

Lyssa blinked. "But I'm trying to warn you that -"

"I said, I'm _trying_ to _read_!" Martha snapped again, flipping a page without looking up.

Lyssa stared, not used to such rudeness from the normally friendly girl. "O-okay, then. I'm just gonna go find the Doctor, then," she said slowly, edging towards the door. Martha ignored her, still focused on her book as Lyssa slipped out the door, shutting it behind her and tucking her key into her pocket.

"Lyssa! There you are!" the Doctor said, looking up from his hands and slipping something into his pocket, leaning against the far wall.

"Yeah," she agreed flatly.

"I think I know where to find Martha," he told her. "I found traces of -" he stopped, examining her face. "Is something wrong?"

She shrugged her shoulders uncertainly. "I don't know. I saw Martha in there, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. Told me that all she'd done was get some more of that wine from the cafe downstairs. I tried to tell her what had happened to us, and that something was wrong, but she snapped at me for interrupting her reading; wouldn't even let me finish talking."

The Doctor frowned. "That doesn't sound like her at all."

"I know," Lyssa agreed. "But apparently she doesn't want to be disturbed right now. At all."

The Doctor looked concerned and thoughtful at the same time. "It sounds like she's already experiencing symptoms. And if she had more wine last night, they likely increased the dosage."

"Will that affect how long she has before it... becomes permanent?" Lyssa asked worriedly.

The Doctor mirrored her look. "I'd say that she has no more than two days before she's no longer the Martha we know. But we still don't even know who's doing it, or how. Or even why."

Lyssa bit her lip. "Well, we're not locked in anymore. Maybe we should go take a look at that room with your detector thingy?" she suggested.

The Doctor brightened up. "That's brilliant! The detector doesn't work anymore, bit of an accident with a pillow and some soap, long story, don't ask, but we can still find out plenty just from looking around! Allons-y, fairy-girl!"

xXx

But despite their hopeful start, their journey turned out to be fruitless. The room they were looking for was in a section of the building supposedly "under construction," and under the watchful eye of several security guards. They tried asking the other guests if they had seen or noticed anything strange, but had no more luck.

Anyone who didn't immediately rebuff them had no idea what they were talking about. They had spotted Mr. Dinklage by the cafe, holding a glass of wine, but instead of showing the same cheerful manners he had the night before, he had looked at them coldly and asked to be left alone, not "disturbed by foolish badgering."

"Well, that was informative," Lyssa remarked sarcastically, raising her eyebrows as they walked away.

"Actually, it was," the Doctor countered.

Lyssa frowned. "How do you figure that?"

The Doctor shrugged. "For one thing, did you see how many security guards they had by the door to that room we saw last night? You don't need that many guards to tell people to stay away from one door; not unless you're guarding something secret or valuable. And did you notice how many people reacted exactly the same way you told me that Martha did? Even when we know that they're normally much more polite, like Martha or Mr. Dinklage."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And they all either had a glass of wine in hand, or were drinking some last night. Also, what kind of cafe offers wine? For free? And, something perhaps even more interesting, is the fact that for a place that frowns on drunkenness and violence, and prides itself on being one of the friendliest places in the galaxy, there is wine everywhere; and their staff are some of the coldest people I've ever met, and that's saying something. Their best wine is constantly either free or on sale. No, they're definitely drugging the people here. But for what?"

"Free slave labor?" Lyssa suggested.

The Doctor thought about it for a minute before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. It'd be much more practical to have robots do it. You don't have to feed them, and they can do a lot that ordinary people can't. Or if they did want people, there are much easier ways to get them. No, they're being used for something else, but I can't think for what." He sighed. "Whatever it is, though, we need to figure it out soon. It's already," he paused to think. "Two-thirty in the afternoon. We don't have much time if we want to be able to reverse it. Who knows how long some of these people have been drugged?"

"Well, what can we do?" Lyssa asked, turning down the hallway that led outdoors. "It seems like everything we try turns out to be a dead end."

"Things aren't hopeless yet," the Doctor encouraged her, opening the door for her as they steeped outside. "I think our best bet is to wait until tonight. That's when they seem to be active, whoever they are. If we manage to hide ourselves so that we don't get locked in again, we should be free to go investigate. Because you know what else I noticed?"

"What?" Lyssa asked, her breath fogging in the cold air as they walked along towards the woods.

"There's cameras in every hallway, except outside that one room. All I have to do is set the camera outside our rooms on a feedback loop once we've gone inside our rooms. Anyone watching'll think we never left. Simple!" He bragged.

Lyssa tilted her head, watching the peaceful clouds float through the lilac-colored sky. "And what about Martha? What do we do about her?"

The Doctor stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well, once we know what's going on here, hopefully I can stop it. Once she's no longer being drugged every day, it should be fairly easy to rehabilitate her, especially since she's only been treated once so far."

"So, you'll knock out the cameras once everyone's in bed, come get me, then we go try and find whatever they're using to make this Bestril stuff and destroy it, and stop whoever's making it," Lyssa summed up.

"Basically, yeah," the Doctor agreed.

"Okay. So... what do we do in the meantime?" she asked.

He sighed heavily. "Now, we wait."

xXx

They explored the woods for another three hours before returning to the lodge for supper. Upon finding that Martha had "already eaten, and didn't want to be disturbed," they ate without her in the dining room, noticing a distinct increase in the chilly atmosphere from last night; particularly after they both turned down the wine, offered at a special "discount price."

Lyssa shivered, looking around the room. "Brr. I almost think it was warmer outside than it is in here."

"Mm," the Doctor agreed. "They weren't joking when they called it an icy resort." Both feeling rather uncomfortable in the unwelcoming atmosphere, they quickly ate and left the room, choosing to split up until later that night.

Lyssa tried the sauna for the first time and left shortly thereafter, deciding that she didn't like it, spending the rest of the night at the heated pool. Finally getting out several hours later, she returned to their room to shower and change.

However, rather than getting ready for bed, she instead changed into comfortable clothes, and boots easy to run in, braiding her hair back to keep it out of the way. She heard a small click from outside her door as Martha returned to her room and locked the door, not bothering to say goodnight. Shutting off her light, Lyssa crept out of her room and shut the door, sitting in silence on the couch and waiting for the Doctor to come, too much adrenaline coursing through her veins for her to feel sleepy.

After an hour or two, though, her eyes were starting to droop. But when she heard a soft knock at the door, she bolted upright in an instant and hurried to the door. Quickly unlocking it, she opened it to reveal the Doctor standing there.

"Sorry it took so long," he whispered. "I had to wait until people stopped walking through the hallways. You ready?"

She nodded, her heart in her throat. Making their way through the hallways, stopping every so often to switch the cameras, they soon arrived at the secretive room. Flashes of green and yellow could be seen through the door, and every so often a person in a white coat would walk in or out of the door, two security guards standing by the entrance.

"We've got to get in there," Lyssa whispered, crouched by the corner.

The Doctor nodded, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. "I've got it covered," he grinned, pointing it in the opposite direction and turning it on. Moments later there was a loud crashing sound, followed by an alarm blaring on each of the guards' belts. After a bit of muted talking, both guards turned and ran down the hallway towards the noise. "Told you so," the Doctor whispered triumphantly, hurrying to the door and quickly opening it with his sonic. Ushering Lyssa through, he re-locked it behind him. "Good thing there's no deadlock seal on this door," he muttered. "Bit strange, that, but perhaps it's best not to question our luck right now."

Making sure that no one was in there, he pulled out his glasses and began studying the various contents of the room. A huge copper vat, steam leaking out through cracks in the lid, connected to a series of gauges and controls sat close to the walls in one corner. A table covered with laboratory equipment and hypodermic needles lay by the wall next to the door.

The Doctor scanned the contents of the vat and the needles and grimaced. "Bestril. They produce it in there," he indicated the vat. "Then use it in these," he nodded at the needles. "On their victims to combine with the Xenopolenthyl. Easy recipe for brainwashing."

"That's horrible!" Lyssa exclaimed, walking over to the gauges and studying them."I take it these control the production process?"

The Doctor joined her and quickly scanned the apparatus. "Yep. Maintenance and control. Hold on - what's this?" He didn't get a chance to answer his own question because the door suddenly began rattling and shaking furiously.

"They're trying to get in!" Lyssa cried.

Scanning the room for possible exit points, the Doctor's face grew hard. He quickly pushed Lyssa into a crouching position behind the machinery and against the wall, shoving his sonic into her hands.

"Stay here!" he hissed, darting to the other side of the room and bending over the hypodermic needles just as the door burst open. Lyssa, unable to see behind the machinery, tensed in fear and anticipation.

"So, Doctor. We meet at last," a female voice purred. Lyssa, still in a crouching position, almost fell over in shock.

"Sorry, do I know you?" the Doctor asked calmly.

"Oh, no." the voice said smugly. "We've never met, you and I. But I met one of your friends. Lyssa Devons, or something like that. Pretty little girl. Does your wife know how many girls you travel around with?"

"Wife?" Lyssa mouthed incredulously.

The Doctor's voice was a little darker when he spoke again. "She knows exactly who I travel with, and when. Like our friend, Martha Jones. Nice girl, currently in the middle of your brainwashing attempt. Speaking of," he switched to a false light tone. "What's that about? What's the point?"

The voice laughed gleefully. "The point was never your friends, although that was an added bonus. The point was _you_."

"Me?" the Doctor asked in confusion.

"Yes. I needed you, and I knew that the best way to get your attention was to cause trouble. You'd be so appalled by what was going on that you'd have to step in and stop it - right into my trap."

The voice laughed again. "It was pure luck that I managed to run into your friend, and was able to bait the trap by mentioning a few strange happenings I knew would intrigue you."

"Hold on. You're Sandira? The tourist who refused to to stay at the resort?" the Doctor realized.

"Oh, did your friend forget to mention my last name?" she pouted. "Perhaps that will give you the answers you need. My full name is Sandira Zlerch, daughter of Rifaldin, leader of the Chazriken. I was born to turn his defeat into a glorious victory by using the power of a Time Lord."

"Let me guess. You're wearing a shimmer?" the Doctor asked, still sounding slightly surprised.

There was a flash of light. "How astute of you to notice. But I know you're stalling. Boys, tie him up in that chair, please," she ordered. There was some scuffling as he was presumably restrained. Lyssa bit her lip, praying she wouldn't be noticed.

"So, what do you need me for?" he finally asked, panting slightly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sandira asked. "Everyone else was just a front to get your attention. But if I have you under my control, then your TARDIS is mine, making every battle for the Chazriken empire an assured victory! We can take whole galaxies under our control, and our enemies will be wiped out completely, including your precious earth!" she gloated.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the Doctor warned her.

"Why? What are you going to do, threaten me from your chair as I wipe your mind? Is this some kind of last attempt, knowing that once the process is complete, I could order you to kill your precious fairy-girl, and you would do it willingly? She probably wouldn't see that coming," she mocked.

"No. I'm giving you a chance, and one only," he said, his voice dangerous.

Sandira laughed scornfully. "And what could you do, tied up in your chair? The very vials on the table you were looking at when I came in hold an extreme dose of Bestril, already mixed with Xenopolenthyl, able to do a complete brainwashing in one dose. I prick you here, and you're all mine. And the first thing I'm going to have you do is hunt down your precious wife and destroy her. I wonder if she could forgive you for that, if she was able to forgive everything else."

"I gave you a chance. Remember that. I gave you the chance to leave," the Doctor told her, his voice dark and foreboding. "Because if I wanted you to lose, all I'd have to do is set my sonic screwdriver to setting 31, and open the panel behind the control center. Inside are two red and green wires, and I'd pull them out."

Lyssa frowned, realizing after a moment that there was a panel in front of her, and that the Doctor was giving her orders. Quickly setting the sonic to setting 31, she opened the panel and saw the two wires inside. She managed after a brief struggle to pull them out as the Doctor continued.

"Then, I'd turn it to setting 350 and activate it where the wires were supposed to go. You know what that'd do?" he asked as Lyssa quickly did just that. "It'd block the particle flow and set off a build-up in the vat that would start a chain reaction, eventually culminating in an explosion large enough to decimate this entire side of the building."

"You couldn't -" Sandira stopped. "Did anyone see the girl come with him tonight?" she demanded her cohorts suddenly.

"Uh, no, but he had set the cameras to a feedback loop" one of them stammered.

A beeping sound began to emanate from the control center in front of Lyssa. Sandira let out a scream of rage and sprang to the control center, searching behind it then spying Lyssa and pulling her out, sending her sprawling on the floor by the Doctor. Managing to sit up, her eyes widened at the sight. Gone was the tall, blonde woman she had met on the ice. In her place was a four-eyed purple woman, dressed in battle armor, with tattoos covering her body.

"Fix it!" she shouted at one of her henchman, who looked similar to her. He shrugged helplessly, holding a device over the control center.

"I can't. The girl locked the controls, and rigged it to explode. We've only got a short time before it goes off."

Sandira fixed her glowing eyes on Lyssa in rage. "You!" she shrieked, snatching a needle off the table. "If you'll stop my victories, then I'll take away your precious Doctor!" she screamed, lunging at him, needle poised to strike. Lyssa's eyes widened in shock, suddenly realizing that she still held the sonic screwdriver in her hand.

Pointing it at the needle, she pressed the button and prayed that it would work. The needle suddenly exploded in Sandira's hand, sending glass and a clear liquid flying. She turned on Lyssa. "Why, you little brat! I ought to -"

"Commander," one of her henchmen interrupted. "We have to leave now if we wish to avoid incurring damage."

"Fine," she hissed, glaring at Lyssa. "This is not over, Lyssa Devons, Doctor. I will have my revenge against you both," she promised, pressing a button on her wrist before she and her cronies disappeared.

"Point and think, yeah?" Lyssa asked, hurriedly untying the Doctor.

"Lyssa, you're brilliant!" he proclaimed, jumping to his feet and surveying the equipment, which was now beeping much faster. "Unfortunately, we now have less than a minute to get out of here."

"But what about the other residents?" She asked in concern.

"There are no other residents in this section, just us. Now, we really need to run!" he urged.

Lyssa grinned, suddenly holding out her hand. "Together?"

He looked down and grinned, taking her hand. "Together," he confirmed, leading the way out of the room and down the hallways, just making it outside as the entire wing began to explode, the walls crumbling and fire rushing up to the sky in an effort to touch the stars.

"Well, I guess there's one good thing to come out of this," Lyssa remarked, watching the destruction.

The Doctor looked over at her. "And what's that?"

Lyssa chuckled. "I imagine everyone will be much warmer this time round."

* * *

 **A/N: Speaking of warm interactions,** **thank you to everyone who's favorited and followed. I can't believe I have over 3,000 views, 40 favorites and 60 follows already! And shout-out to E-man-dy-S, Arashi- IV of VI, guest, HalfPastEleven, Redc20, and shadowcaster01 for reviewing.**

 **And special thanks to E-man-dy-S and shadowcaster01 for pointing out that my dialogue was hard to understand and read! Because I have it all planned out in my head, I know what I'm trying to say, and so it's easy for me to miss spots like that. Hopefully it's easier to read now! So thank you both for your honest review! I'm no expert author, so constructive criticism is always welcome. (As are all the other reviews, of course! I _loved_ reading all the reviews I got this week! You are all so nice, and I'm glad that you're enjoying my story!)  
**

 **To answer Redc20's question, yes... I do plan on having Missy appear. Lyssa won't fall for any of her baloney, of course, but they will definitely be interacting when the time comes. ;)  
**

 **So, once again, thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own it... yet. ;D**


	11. Chapter 11 - The Pandorica Opens, Part 1

Lyssa opened her eyes with a start. She was no longer on her comfortable bed in the TARDIS. Instead, she was sitting on a stone floor against a wall. Furrowing her brow, she looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was.

It was a small, plain room, with only a few personal effects and a bed to testify to the fact that it was a bedroom at all. Three of the walls were made of what looked like concrete, and and where the fourth would have been was simply made up of steel bars and a locked door that looked out on more of the cold, plain walls.

A rustling on the bed drew her attention. Carefully getting to her feet, as she had a pretty good idea of where she was, and didn't want to attract any attention, she slowly peered over the top of the bed. The tension sagged out of her.

"River?" she asked incredulously. The curly-haired woman reacted immediately. Getting to her feet in an instant, she dropped the book she had been reading and assumed a wary stance before she caught sight of Lyssa.

A bright smile suddenly lit up her face. "Pixie!" she exclaimed happily, going over and giving her a hug. "How are you doing?" she asked.

Lyssa laughed, startled at first, but then returning the hug. "Pretty good, but a bit confused. The last thing I remember was going to bed, and now I'm suddenly here - I assume this is Stormcage?"

The older woman nodded, releasing her. "Yes. I was getting ever so bored, but you're here, so I assume that trouble will be soon to follow."

"Hey!" Lyssa cried, mock offended.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean you, dear," she assured her. "I only meant that where you go, the Doctor will sooner or later show up, and ten times out of eleven, that means trouble. It's just a matter of when."

Lyssa chuckled and conceded the point. "All right," River said, eyeing her. "How far along are we? You're familiar enough with me that we've met before, but you seemed startled when we hugged, and your necklace definitely indicates that you're still pretty new to all of this."

Lyssa looked down at her silvery necklace, where no jewels yet hung. "My necklace?" she asked.

River smiled. "Spoilers."

Lyssa rolled her eyes. "Fine. Keep your secrets. If you must know, I've only met you once before. Have you done the picnic at Asgard yet?"

River frowned and shook her head. "You are early, then," she remarked, looking unhappy at the thought.

Lyssa sighed. "You and the Doctor both look upset each time I arrive and tell you that I don't know you. Why?"

River sat down on the bed and indicated to her to do the same. "I can't give too much away, dear, but picture if your best friend in the whole world were to show up at your door, and only know of you, not really knowing you, and having no idea of what you'd done together."

Lyssa drew back a little. "Are you saying that I'm your best friend? And the Doctor's?"

"Maybe a bit more than that," River smiled slyly.

"What are you talking about?" Lyssa asked warily.

The older woman shrugged coyly. "All I can say is that the Doctor cares about you a great deal, so he's saddened when he realizes that all the amazing things that you've done together haven't happened for you yet. There's a world of history between the two of you, but you don't know it yet."

"A world of history? How - how long am I around?" Lyssa stammered.

River looked at her sadly. "I'm afraid that that's a spoiler as well. You'll find out the answer soon enough, and for that, I am sorry. Now, enough of our secrets," she said firmly, changing the subject. "While we wait for whatever it is that needs to happen to happen, why don't you tell me what you've been up to since you arrived."

Lyssa agreed, but stored away the conversation to puzzle over later. Giving River a rundown of the past week, she ended with the tale of their stay at the mineral lakes of Cuhlhan.

"After the Bestril was destroyed, we contacted the authorities and told them what was going on. Once they arrived, we set up a treatment plan for all the victims. The Doctor told me before we left that while once you have a supply of Bestril, it's easy to produce; it's incredibly difficult to make it from scratch, so now that we destroyed it, it will probably take decades for them to even come close to having half the ingredients to produce it."

"And your friend?" River asked, listening intently. "Was she all right?"

"Martha?" Lyssa asked. "Oh, she was fine. She'd only had one dose of the treatment, so we just stuck around for a couple days until it was completely gone from her system." Lyssa chuckled. "She was... rather ashamed of the way she had acted, of course, but she's completely cured now, so it doesn't really matter anymore."

She shrugged. "It's not like it was even her fault in the first place. Anyways, once we made sure that everything was being taken care of, we left and just kind of floated around space for a while. We visited an intergalactic zoo on the Blue Moon of Skeptar, and I explored the TARDIS a bit more before apparently traveling here in my sleep." She looked down at her pajama shorts and sighed. "And now I'm apparently doomed to another adventure in my pajamas. So classy."

River smiled. "So how long have you been here now?" She asked curiously.

"Let's see," Lyssa muttered, counting on her fingers. "I was... three or four days with Eleven, I think; I can't remember how long I was unconscious; then basically one day with Ten and Rose, then about a week with Ten and Martha, and then I showed up here. So... all told, about two weeks," she finished.

"Two weeks." River raised her eyebrows. "And there's already something bothering you. Spit it out," she ordered.

Lyssa fidgeted uncomfortably. "No, there's not," she denied, not looking the older woman in the eyes.

River narrowed her eyes at her. "What is it?"

Lyssa fidgeted even more under her stern gaze. "TheDoctorkissedme," she finally blurted all at once.

River's eyes widened as she drew back in surprise before narrowing. "I'm going to kill him. Forget maintaining the timelines." She muttered.

"I know, I'm sorry," Lyssa apologized. "I know that you're married to him, but he wasn't married to you yet, and I almost died, which was why he did it, and he apologized to me, and told me he had been worried and afraid I was dead, and -"

"Lyssa, breathe," River interrupted. "You're rambling." Lyssa stopped sheepishly. "Now start over from the beginning, but slowly." Lyssa repeated it at a much slower pace this time, unable to keep a blush from her face. "Hold on." River held up a hand. "Did you say that _I'm_ married to the Doctor?"

"Yes..?" Lyssa said uncertainly. "Have you not done that yet? But then again, you're already in Stormcage, so you must have done it..."

"Lyssa," River said firmly. Lyssa shut her mouth. "Now, I don't know where you got this idea, but I am not the Doctor's wife, nor will I ever be. I have an entirely different relationship with him."

"What?" Lyssa stared at her incredulously. "But - but how? Why? This isn't how things are supposed to be!"

River sighed. "If you've already met me, then I probably already told you this, but things are different from your televised version of events. Things have changed just by the nature of your being here."

"But, but - this was something really big," Lyssa protested.

River frowned and shook her head. "Believe me when I tell you that I'm perfectly happy with things the way they are now. I even met someone who complements me perfectly. It's not romantic at all, thank goodness, but it's a great deal of fun. And I can't wait until I see the look on your face when you truly meet him for the first time."

When Lyssa only smiled a little, she sighed. "I suppose I can't convince you that things have been changed for the better, so you'll just have to see for yourself. Just... remember that things are different from what you know, and try to keep an open mind about it, all right?"

Lyssa thought about it for a minute before nodding reluctantly. "I guess. You're seriously not married to the Doctor? Even in the alternate universe you created?"

River chuckled. "I'm positive. Trust me, everything turns out fine. As to how -"

"Let me guess," Lyssa interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Spoilers?"

"Exactly," River agreed with a grin. They spent another two hours in the cell, talking and playing with a deck of of cards that River had pulled out of a hole in the wall behind the bed before the phone on the wall opposite the cell began ringing. A guard crossed the corridor to answer it.

"How have they not noticed me?" Lyssa whispered.

River just smiled secretively, putting a finger to her lips.

"The Doctor? Do you mean Doctor Song?" the guard asked the person on the other end of the phone.

River's ears perked up. Shoving Lyssa down by the bed, she hissed, "Stay there!" and ran to the door, clutching the bars. "Give me that. Seriously, just give it to me. I'm entitled to phone calls," she told the guard. He looked uncertain, but crossed over and handed it to her. "Doctor?" She asked. She paused before explaining, "You're phoning the Time Vortex, it doesn't always work. But the TARDIS is smart, she's re-routed the call. Talk quickly, this connection will last less than a minute."

She listened intently until the guard said, "Dr. Song." She nodded and ended the call, turning her back to the guard as she did so. "Are you finished with that?" the guard asked, Lyssa watching her pull some lipstick out of her shirt and apply it.

Once she was done, she turned around and handed him the phone. "You're new here, aren't you?" she asked.

He nodded. "First day."

"Then I'm very sorry," she said, pulling him in for a kiss through the bars.

Lyssa got to her feet as River released the dazed guard, grabbing the keys from his belt and using it to unlock the cell. Grabbing a black marker from his belt as well, she scribbled a curly-haired figure on the wall and wrote 'bye!' next to it. Drawing the guard into the cell, she told him, "That's the dangerous criminal River Song. She tried to use the hallucinogenic lipstick on you, but failed. You're currently holding her here." The guard drew his gun and held it on the figure, radioing for back-up.

Reaching under the bed, River grabbed something and slapped it on her wrist. Grabbing Lyssa with one hand, she typed some buttons. "Is that a vortex -" Lyssa started to ask before they disappeared with a flash. "Manipulator?" she said a moment later as they reappeared in a dark room, before immediately dropping to the ground, holding her stomach as her breakfast threatened to make a reappearance.

"Yes, and I'm sorry. Time travel without a capsule can wreak havoc on your stomach," River explained, turning the light on and rummaging in a closet.

"No kidding," Lyssa groaned. "I take it that was Winston Churchill?"

"Naturally," River granted, pulling out two dark outfits. "Aha! I knew I still had it in here. This should just fit you," she said, holding it out to Lyssa, who took it and looked it over curiously, managing to regain her feet.

"Okay, before I ask what the ninja costume is for, what is this place?" she asked, looking around the room, which contained a bed and a couch, both covered in clothes.

"This is my hideaway, where I come for a change of clothes, or a nap when I need it. And you need those clothes because we can hardly rob the Queen of England in pajamas," she told her, turning around. "I'm afraid I don't have another room for us to change in, so we'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way. I'll face this way, and you look the other way, and we'll tell each other when we're done, all right?"

Lyssa looked down at the outfit in her hands before sighing and agreeing. Quickly turning her back on River, she pulled off her pajamas and dropped them on the floor, yanking the new clothes on. "Done," she called over her shoulder.

"Me too," River said, appearing by her shoulder. Shoving a flashlight in her hand, she grabbed her by the wrist and and activated the vortex manipulator again.

Reappearing in a dark building, River turned on her flashlight and began to look around while Lyssa tried to fight off the nausea. "It gets better the more you do it," River assured her.

"Ugh," Lyssa shuddered, joining River in the search as they traveled out of the room and down a set of stairs. "I don't think I want to do that again. Where's the painting at so we can get out of here?"

"It should be down here somewhere. We couldn't go any further, because something in the walls would block us from using the manipulators. I don't know what, but it's good," River said, shining her light on frames hanging on the wall, some empty some falling apart.

"There!" she whispered suddenly, pointing. Lyssa's eyes widened as she took in the colors and swirls of the picture as River ripped it from the frame. "Let's go," she said hastily, turning and running the other way, Lyssa close behind. Halfway up the stairs, the lights turned on and they froze.

A regal woman at the top held a gun aimed at them. "This is the Royal Collection, and I'm the ruddy Queen. What are you doing here?" Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Lyssa. "Lyssa?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"It's about the Doctor, Ma'am. You met him once, didn't you. Him and Lyssa. I know they came here, even if Lyssa hasn't yet," River tried to explain.

"The Doctor?" the queen asked, frowning.

"He's in trouble. We need to find him," River said.

"Then why are you stealing a painting?" she countered, looking at Lyssa.

"I need to find the Doctor, and I need to show him this," River said. "You've met Lyssa, so you're probably not surprised by the fact that she knows all this already."

The queen looked down at the painting, then at them in astonishment. "Go. Find the Doctor," she said softly. "Save him."

xXx

"This is not better," Lyssa grumbled several hours later, clutching a hand to her mouth as her supper from the night before threatened to make a reappearance. "And we've used that how many times, now?"

After getting the painting, River had obtained a vortex manipulator for Lyssa to use, claiming that she would need it at some point in the future. Then she'd dragged them to the oldest planet in the universe, and convinced Lyssa to write, "Hello, sweetie," on a diamond cliff, adding some coordinates beneath them, before returning them to the hideaway room.

"Now, now, we're almost done. Just put this on while I'm gone, and then one more trip until we find the Doctor," River assured her, decked out in full Egyptian garb and wig, reapplying her hallucinogenic lipstick before disappearing. Lyssa looked at the contents of her hands. A white robe with gold jewelry and belts to go over it, and a black wig that fit over her hair. She had just finished putting everything on when River returned. "Got everything all set up," she declared. "You ready?"

"For what?" Lyssa countered.

River smiled slyly. "To be the visiting cousin of Cleopatra. Do try and come up with a believable name," she added, grabbing her wrist and once again sending them back to the past. They reappeared outside a large tent, Roman soldiers and Egyptian servants milling about.

One of them saw them and came running up and bowed, a lipstick kiss mark clear on his cheek. "Welcome, Queen of the Nile. We are honored by your presence."

"Naturally," River said gracefully. "This is my cousin -"

"Mara," Lyssa interrupted, feeling less sick than usual, thankfully.

"You will show her all due courtesy," River finished calmly.

The servant nodded, leading them into the tent and towards two reclining couches covered in gold, bowls of fruit lying on the tables around them. "You may wait here until Lord Caesar arrives. I will send your maids to wait upon you," the servant announced, bowing before exiting.

River walked over and tried one of the couches. "Now, this is the life," she said, reclining luxuriously and inviting Lyssa to do the same.

Lyssa sat down cautiously. "Now what?"

"Now, we wait for the Doctor and his impeccably late timing," River informed her, taking the rolled-up painting out of her pocket and placing it beside her.

Two servants came in a moment later, one of them serving wine before going to wait in the background, and the other playing some music softly. "How will the Doctor find us?" Lyssa asked, ignoring the wine but trying some of the grapes.

"I sent a few soldiers to keep an eye out for Caesar arriving with a red-haired companion out of a blue box."

Lyssa raised her eyebrows. "Seems a tad unbelievable, doesn't it?" she teased.

River shrugged gracefully. "Considering that Cleopatra's actually dead by this point in time, the hallucinogenic lipstick works wonders, Mara, dear. And the Doctor will be here soon enough, if a bit disgruntled about what we did to the cliff."

Her words were prophetic, for not five minutes later, the the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond came walking in, looking surprised when they saw them. "Hello, Doctor," River said sweetly.

"Lyssa! River! Hi!" Amy exclaimed.

The Doctor frowned. "You graffitied the oldest cliff-face in the universe," he reprimanded them.

"It was River's idea!" Lyssa claimed immediately, pointing at the older woman.

"You were the one to carve the message," River reminded her before telling the Doctor, "You wouldn't answer your phone."

She clapped her hands, the servants immediately leaving. Grabbing the rolled-up canvas from beside her, she held it out to the Doctor.

"What's this?" he asked curiously.

"It's a painting. From your friend Vincent." The Doctor snatched the painting, unraveling it. "One of his final works. He had visions, didn't he? We thought you ought to know about this one."

"Doctor? Doctor, what is this?" Amy asked, staring at the painting.

Lyssa got down from her couch and joined them, the Doctor absentmindedly placing an arm around her shoulders as she did so, staring at the painting of the TARDIS exploding. The Doctor placed it at a nearby table, studying it as River quietly joined them.

"Why's it exploding?" Amy asked.

"I assume it's some kind of warning," River said.

The Doctor released Lyssa and sat down on a nearby chair, his face drawn.

"Something's going to happen to the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"It might not be that literal. Anyway, this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign, see?" River pointed.

"Does it have a title?" the Doctor asked.

Lyssa bit her lip, exchanging glances with River. "The Pandorica Opens."

"The Pandorica?" Amy repeated curiously. "What is it?"

"A box. A cage. A prison. It was built to contain the three most feared things in all the universe."

Lyssa looked up sharply. "Wait, what? Three?"

"And it's a fairy tale, a legend. It can't be real," the Doctor said, pacing, not hearing what she had said.

"If it is real, it's here, and it's opening. And it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding," River countered. The Doctor sighed in frustration and pulled out local maps of the area placed there earlier by servants upon River's command. "Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map," River warned him.

"No," the Doctor agreed, poring over the maps. "But if you buried the three most dangerous things in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put it."

"Something big and noticeable would help," Lyssa pointed out, peering over the Doctor's shoulder and pointing at the dot that that marked Stonehenge's location.

He nodded. "Exactly. We're going to need some horses."

"I'll handle that. Be right back," River said, tapping her vortex manipulator and disappearing.

"Where are we going?" Amy frowned.

Lyssa smiled. "How do you feel about visiting Stonehenge?"

"Really?" Amy asked excitedly. "I've always wanted to see it, but never got the chance."

"Well, you've got your chance now," the Doctor told her before turning to Lyssa. "Haven't said hello yet, that was rather rude. Hello, Lyssa, how've you been?"

She grinned. "Oh, you know. The usual. Almost got burned alive by a vengeful sun. Watched Martha get brainwashed. The usual," she teased good-naturedly.

"That's the usual?" Amy asked in consternation.

"It is with him around," Lyssa jerked a thumb at the Doctor. "Oh, and I haven't met you yet, so it's nice to finally meet you, Amy!" She held out a hand.

The redhead took it in confusion. "You haven't met me yet? Then how do you who I am?"

Lyssa shook her head. "The same way I know everything else. And, technically, you were there when I first arrived here, but I only heard about you from Ror-" she stopped, suddenly realizing the conspicuous absence of Amy's other half, remembering what had happened to him. "Uh, the Doctor mentioned you," she finished awkwardly, the Doctor glancing at her and frowning, knowing what she would have said. "Then I passed out, and he dropped you off on vacation or something so that I wouldn't be too overwhelmed when I woke up."

"Did it work?" the Doctor asked, watching her carefully.

She shrugged. "Guess it hasn't happened for you yet." She smacked her forehead, remembering the timeline. "Oh, duh. Of course you haven't. Never mind. Ignore that. Anyways. Did it work? I don't know. I guess? Still haven't had a breakdown, and as far as I know, I'm reasonably sane, so..."

River popped back with a flash in the middle of her sentence. "Reasonably sane? You spend all your time around him, so that's debatable."

Lyssa snorted, noting that River had changed into more modern-looking clothes and held a bag in her hand. "You don't have much ground to stand on, Dr. Song."

"Yes, but you know exactly who I am. What's your excuse?" River retorted with a smirk.

Lyssa shrugged playfully. "I don't know. It's almost like I'm drawn to him, or something."

Amy started chuckling. "You have no idea."

"Spoilers, Pond," the Doctor warned her. "Did you get those horses yet?"

River nodded. " And a change of clothes for Lyssa. You can change in here while we get ready."

"Thanks. This wig's starting to get hot," Lyssa said, taking the bag and shedding her long black wig gratefully. The others filed out of the tent, shutting the flap as they left.

Reaching into the bag, she was glad to find a pair of boots, blue jeans, and a dark T-shirt that fit comfortably. Quickly changing, and leaving her new vortex manipulator on her wrist, she smoothed her hair back out of her face and joined the others. There were three horses, River and Amy each atop one, and the Doctor standing by another.

"Do I not get a horse?" she asked in surprise, mock-pouting.

"Amy and River have both ridden horses before. You haven't, and we don't have the time to teach you now," the Doctor explained, swiftly mounting and holding a hand out to her. "So you'll be riding with me."

Taken aback, Lyssa eyed the horse much more warily than she had a moment ago. "Yeah, but how much experience with horses do you have?"

"I've got the most experience out of all of us, and I can even speak horse," he informed her impatiently. "Now come on. You'll be perfectly fine, I promise." Lyssa reluctantly let him pull her up onto the horse, holding onto his waist for support. As soon as she was secure, the Doctor started his horse off at a gallop. "Come on! Ya!" he shouted, urging them forward. Taken aback by the quick pace, Lyssa flung her arms around him and buried her head in his back, willing herself not to look at the ground flashing by beneath their horse's hooves.

They kept up the pace for an unknown period of time, the Doctor urging their horses on when they started to lag while Lyssa tried to distract herself, eventually coming to a stop. Looking up slowly, Lyssa's eyes widened as she saw the large rocks of Stonehenge before them.

"Eh, Lyssa. You can let go now. We've stopped," the Doctor told her gently.

She flushed, realizing that River and Amy had already dismounted. "Oh, right. Sorry." Letting go of him, she was helped down by a smirking River, the Doctor quickly dismounting behind her. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he began scanning the stones while River took out a scanner and began typing in some information.

"How come it's not new?" Amy asked curiously, spinning slowly around to take it all in.

"Because it's already old," River told her. "Been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long. Well, except maybe Lyssa," she added, looking skyward.

Lyssa grinned. "Maybe, maybe not. Spoilers, sorry." Her smile fell when she remembered what the Pandorica would be used for.

Amy didn't notice. "Okay, this Pandorica thing. Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium, and Lyssa agreed with you."

Lyssa looked up and frowned. "Not yet, Amy," at the same time as River put a finger to her lip.

"Spoilers."

"No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens," Amy insisted.

"Maybe I did," River agreed with her. "But I haven't yet. And neither has Lyssa. But we will have. Doctor," she turned to him. "I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."

The Doctor leapt up onto a large stone in the middle of the clearing. "If the Pandorica is here, it contains, among other things, the mightiest warrior in history. Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it." Lyssa looked away unhappily as he jumped off the stone and pressed an ear against it. "We need to get down there," he said.

"Night'll be coming soon," Lyssa observed, looking up at the darkening sky. "Do we have any lights?"

"I always come prepared," River smirked, reaching into her bag and pulling out a large box that should _not_ have fit inside. "There's stand-up lights inside that will illuminate the area. Can you and Amy set them up while the Doctor and I work on getting down there?"

"Sure," Lyssa agreed, placing the box on the ground and opening it. Pulling out a stand, she gave one to Amy and took another for herself, setting them up in a large perimeter around the area where the Doctor and River were working.

They worked in silence for a while, Lyssa watching Amy, wondering. After a while the Scottish girl looked up and caught her staring. "What?"

Lyssa shook her head. "Sorry. I just - you seem sad about something."

Amy frowned, disconcerted. "Vincent said the same thing. Is there something you know about that I don't?"

Lyssa caught the Doctor's eyes. He shook his head slightly, frowning sadly. She turned back to Amy and forced a cheerfulness she didn't feel. "I know lots of things you don't, Pond. Lots of things the Doctor doesn't. And a few things even River doesn't know."

"Oi!" the Doctor called, insulted.

"Spoilers!" She retorted with a smirk, grabbing another stand out of the box and setting it up.

"That's all right," Amy chuckled. "I happen to know a few things that you don't either, so I guess we're even."

The sun had fallen by the time all the lights were set up. Lyssa flicked a switch and turned them on, illuminating the are as River placed a device on the last corner of the stone, walking over to the Doctor afterwards. "Right then. Ready." She pressed a button on her scanner, the rock sliding to the side and revealing a set of stairs beneath it.

The Doctor stepped forward as River pulled a flashlight from her pocket and switched it on. "The underhenge," the Doctor said, pulling out his sonic and using it as a flashlight as they entered.

"It feels like a tomb," Amy muttered to Lyssa, following the Doctor into the darkness towards a narrow passage.

"That's because it is," Lyssa told her softly.

They finally stepped out of the passage, the Doctor using his sonic to light a torch hanging on the wall; River bringing over another one and lighting it from his. Looking at a huge set of doors locked with a plank, he nodded at River, and the two of them removed the plank, pushing open the doors and finding themselves in a cavernous room, Lyssa and Amy following close behind, stopping when they saw a large box with an intricate circular pattern on each side in the center of the room.

"The Pandorica," the Doctor said in awe.

"More than just a fairy tale," River breathed.

The Doctor walked forward, stopping when he stepped on something. He looked down to see the arm of a Cyberman, Lyssa instantly tensing when she saw it. The Doctor ignored it, however, continuing on and placing a hand on the Pandorica.

"There was a goblin, or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing; soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. And its constant companions, the Oracle, devoted to the warrior; and the Siren, the enemy of all living things and constantly at war with the others, depending on which version of the legend you hear."

He grimaced. "Alone, you could maybe reason with one of them. But if you angered them, or caught the Siren alone, or they were all together, then nothing could stop them, or hold them, or reason with them. One day they would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world. Legend says the Siren would destroy your world just for the fun of it. And I believe it."

"What?" Lyssa frowned. "That's not how it's supposed to be."

The Doctor walked over to her in concern, Amy listening closely. "What do you mean?"

Lyssa shook her head, trying to figure out what was going on. "In the original version of events, there was no Oracle, no Siren, no friends of the warrior. They didn't exist, so why do they now? Who are they?"

"Lyssa," the Doctor said slowly. "Do you know what's supposed to be in there?"

She looked away. "Yes. And I'm sorry. Because the legends aren't always entirely accurate."

* * *

 **A/N:** **So here's the first chapter of the Pandorica Opens! I know that it's a fairly common beginning chapter for these types of stories, but I haven't read any stories that have the same take that I plan on adding, so... hopefully it'll be original!**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed - there are now 45 favorites and 72 follows, and, holy crap you guys! over 4,000 views already! After only a week since the last chapter! Oh my gosh! That's so amazing, thank you all so much! And shout-out to MageVicky, E-man-dy-S, iresona8, Arashi -IV of VI, bwburke94, guest, and bored411 for reviewing!**

 **Magevicky:** _ **Thanks! Yeah...it never really stops when the Doctor's around...for now, at least. There comes a time, however, when even the strongest can no longer run...and it might be coming sooner than planned for some...;)**_

 **E-man-dy-S:** _ **Thanks! I'm glad it's easier to read now! And I'm glad you're enjoying it  
**_ **iresona8:** _ **Aww, thanks. :) I'm glad to hear that. I've been trying to have original adventures for this.**_

 **Arashi -IV of VI:** _ **Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I love hearing from you all! :)  
**_

 **bwburke94:** _ **Thanks for catching that. I remember writing that, and that it made perfect sense to my sleep-addled brain at the time. :/ Should be fixed now.**_

 **Guest:** _ **Hahaha...I wouldn't say that... It's far too soon to tell...As can be seen from this chapter, I'm adding a few new characters to the mix. And, just throwing this out there...a lot of what the aliens know about certain characters is not entirely accurate. So... don't believe everything you read. ;)**_

 **bored411:** _ **Aww, thanks. :) Hope you enjoy this new chapter!**_

 **Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome. I love hearing from you!**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, but Lyssa Devons is all mine.**


	12. Chapter 12 - The Pandorica Opens, Part 2

"How did they end up in there?" Amy asked, interrupting.

The Doctor frowned, but eventually turned away, walking around to the other side of the Pandorica. "You know fairy tales. A good wizard tricked the warrior and the Siren. The Oracle was never caught, and was never seen again."

Lyssa furrowed her brows, thoughts swimming through her brain as she tried to figure out what was going on. Something was wrong.

"I hate good wizards in fairy tales," River commented. "They always turn out to be him, and the fairy godmothers turn out to be her."

"Really? I get to be a fairy? Cool!" Lyssa grinned, distracted by the thought.

"So, it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then," Amy said, ignoring her and looking around. "Almost the same name."

"Sorry, what?" the Doctor asked.

"The story, Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it." The Doctor placed his torch in a holder, using his sonic on the Pandorica. "That was my favorite book as a kid," Amy continued. The Doctor immediately stopped, walking over to Amy with a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked slowly.

"Your favorite school topic, your favorite story. Never ignore a coincidence. Unless you're busy. Then, always ignore a coincidence," he told her, walking back to the Pandorica.

"Actually, that's when you should pay the most attention to them. It's like experiencing Deja Vu in the Matrix," Lyssa warned.

"So, can you open it?" River asked, glancing at Lyssa.

"Easily," the Doctor told her. "Anyone can break into a prison, but I'd rather know what I'm going to find first."

Lyssa looked away uncomfortably, biting her lip, stopping when she tasted blood. She sighed, wiping it away with her hand and making a mental note to stop doing that.

"It's already opening," River realized, looking at the scanner in her hand. "There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled, one by one. Like it's being unlocked from the inside."

"How long do we have?" the Doctor asked.

"Hours at the most," River warned him.

The Doctor turned to look at Lyssa. "Why?"

She frowned. "For the same reason the thief fears the police officer." The Doctor's eyes widened in consternation, the wheels starting to turn in his head.

"So why would it start to open now?" River asked.

"No idea," the Doctor said distractedly, still staring at Lyssa.

"Hmm, and how could Vincent have known about it? He won't even be born for centuries," Amy pointed out.

The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning the stone pillars in the room. "The stones! These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening!"

"Doctor... everyone, everywhere?" River asked, a look of realization appearing on her face.

"Even poor Vincent heard it in his dreams. What's in there, what could justify all this?"

"Doctor, everyone?" River persisted.

"Anything that powerful, I'd know about it. Why don't I know?" the Doctor continued, ignoring her.

"Doctor, you said everyone could hear it. So who else is coming?" River asked again.

"Oh." The Doctor realized suddenly.

"'Oh?' Oh, what?" Amy asked, not getting it.

River pressed her scanner against a pillar. "Okay, if it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal."

"Doing it," the Doctor announced, using his sonic on all the pillars.

"Doing what?" Amy repeated, still confused.

"Stonehenge is transmitting, it's been transmitting for a while...so who heard?" River explained.

"Okay, should be feeding back to you now. River, what's out there? Getting anything?" the Doctor asked.

"Give me a moment," River said, fiddling with her scanner.

"River, quickly, anything?" the Doctor said impatiently.

River stopped fiddling suddenly and stared at her scanner in shock. "Around this planet, there are at least ten thousand spaceships."

"At _least_?" Amy repeated incredulously.

"Ten thousand, one hundred thousand, one million, I don't know. There's too many readings," River told her. A transmission started coming through.

" **Maintaining orbit** ," the metallic voice of a Dalek proclaimed.

" **I obey. Shield cover compromised on ion sectors** ," another stated.

"Daleks. Those are Daleks," Amy realized.

"Daleks, Doctor," River said, listening to their conversation.

" **Launch preliminary assessment** ," another Dalek ordered.

"Yes. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Dalek fleet. Minimum 12,000 battleships, armed to the teeth. But, we've got surprise on our side! They'll never expect four people to attack 12,000 Dalek battleships, 'cos we'd be killed instantly. So it'd be a fairly short surprise. Forget surprise," the Doctor rambled, Lyssa laughing softly in the background.

"Doctor, Cyber-ships!" River interrupted.

"No, Dalek ships, listen to them, those are Dalek ships," he contradicted.

"Yes. Dalek ships _and_ Cyber-ships," River told him patiently.

"Well, we'll need to start a fight, turn them on each other. It's the Daleks... they're so cross."

"Sontaran, four battle fleets," River continued.

"Sontarans! Talk about cross, who stole their handbags?" The Doctor asked.

"Probably you," Lyssa told him smartly.

"Oi! You were there, too!" He protested, a smirk on his face.

"Terileptil. Slitheen. Chelonian. Nestene. Dravhin. Sycorax. Haemo-goth. Zygon. Atraxi. Draconian. They're all here for the Pandorica," River interrupted, reading from her scanner.

The Doctor shook his head, his previous happy mood falling away. "What are you?" He demanded, staring at the Pandorica.

The ground started shaking suddenly. The Doctor began running towards the stairs, closely followed by everyone else. Reaching the top of the stairs, they all looked up and saw thousands of lights from the ships flying above them.

"What do we do?" Amy asked, panicking.

"Doctor, listen to me," River said urgently. "Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight. You can't win this. You can't even fight it, Doctor. This once, just this one time, please, you have to run," she pleaded.

"Run where?" the Doctor asked her rhetorically.

"Fight how?" she countered.

The Doctor didn't answer her, instead pulling out a pair of binoculars and looking back the way they came. "The greatest military machine in the history of the universe."

"What is? The Daleks?" Amy asked.

"Nope. Invasion of the Hot Italians, remember, Amy?" Lyssa asked.

"Romans?" Amy frowned.

"Romans," River confirmed, taking off her vortex manipulator and handing it to the Doctor. "I'll ride back, see who I can round up to help. You take that, if need be. Lyssa's got one now, but you may need two. Hopefully I'll be back soon." She darted up the stairs as the others returned to their previous positions; Lyssa and Amy lighting more torches to make it easier to see as the Doctor continued to examine the Pandorica.

"So, what's this got to do with the TARDIS?" Amy asked, lighting another torch.

"Nothing, as far as I know," the Doctor said at the same time as Lyssa said,

"Virtually everything." They both glanced at her. She shrugged sheepishly. "Spoilers. Sorry."

"But Vincent's painting," Amy said, returning to the subject. "The TARDIS was exploding, is that going to happen?"

"One problem at a time," the Doctor told her. "There's force field technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour."

"What good is half an hour?" Amy complained.

The Doctor pointed his sonic at her. "There are fruit flies that live on Hoppledom 6 that live for twenty minutes, and don't even mate for life. There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you."

"He meant to say that we can do a lot with a little time," Lyssa called over her shoulder, crossing to the far side of the room to light another torch.

"Doctor," Amy said quietly, pulling a red ring box from her pocket. "What's this? I mean... you're already, you know... and it doesn't look like hers, so... What's it for?"

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked, looking up.

"I found this in your pocket," Amy explained. The Doctor looked unhappy.

"No. No, no, that's uh... a memory. A friend of mine, someone I lost." He tried to take it back, but Amy pulled it away. "Do you mind?"

"It's weird," Amy commented, staring at it. "I feel... I don't know. Something."

"People fall out of the word sometimes, but they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for," the Doctor told her, watching her closely. "Faces in photographs, luggage, half-eaten meals... rings... Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered... it can come back."

Amy looked lost in thought for a minute, but snapped out of it, closing the box and handing it back. "So was she nice, your friend?"

The Doctor put it back in his pocket, returning to the Pandorica but stopping to look at her a moment later. "Remember that night you flew away with us?"

Amy said something in reply, but Lyssa didn't hear it, distracted by a rustling. Feeling a little nervous, she crept around a corner, only to come face-to-face with a headless Cyberman that was also missing an arm. She screamed, scrambling backward only to be jerked to a stop when it placed its one remaining arm on her shoulder and gripped her tight. Her eyes rolled back in her head as a large amount of energy suddenly coursed through her body, removing all conscious thought and sending her limp body to the ground.

xXx

She slowly woke up, feeling sore all over. She groaned, putting a hand to her head as she sat up, only then noticing the jacket placed around her shoulders that slid down as she did so. She frowned, staring at it groggily.

After a minute, her head began to clear, and she realized that it was the Doctor's jacket. She scrambled to her feet, suddenly remembering what had happened. She swayed for a minute before stumbling towards the sound of voices, noticing the Cyberman pinned to a door with a sword and heading towards it.

She walked inside, finding the Doctor talking to a slightly bemused Rory Williams, dressed in period Roman armor. "I don't know, it's... kind of fuzzy," he said, not noticing her.

"Fuzzy?" the Doctor repeated incredulously.

"Well, I died and turned into a Roman. It's very distracting," Rory defended himself. He gently ran a hand down Amy's cheek, lying unconscious nearby. "Did she miss me?"

"Well, I certainly did," Lyssa interjected, making the two men start and turn to her.

"Lyssa! You're awake!" the Doctor said happily, drawing her into a tight hug. She closed her eyes, enjoying how it felt for a minute before wriggling free, missing the disappointed look on his face as she went to hug Rory.

"Hi, Rory! This is technically only the second time I've met you, but you were dead, so I figure that that warrants celebration," she said cheerfully. "Also, you always were one of my favorite companions, so..."

He laughed, hugging her back. "I'm glad to see you again too, Lyssa," he said, releasing her.

She smiled, then looked down and realized she was still carrying the Doctor's coat in her hand. "Oh! Sorry. This is yours," she said sheepishly, handing it back to him.

He smiled, pulling it on, and giving her a quick kiss to the forehead. "Thank you. I checked you over with the sonic once I found you. Should be no after-effects aside from, uh..." he paused and grimaced.

"What? Aside from what?" Lyssa asked, worried. He raised his eyes to her head and pointed to her hair.

"That," he answered reluctantly.

Lyssa's hands instantly flew to her head, sagging as she felt a frizzy, tangled mess; some of her bangs appearing to be trying their best to levitate off her head. She groaned, trying in vain to smooth it down. "How come this didn't happen to you? You got shocked too," she protested.

The Doctor smirked. "Spoilers or space hair. Take your pick," he teased.

She glared at him. "Seriously?"

He was saved from having to answer by a loud rumbling noise. They all exchanged looks before running back to the main room, where the symbols on the Pandorica were now glowing green. The Doctor whipped out his sonic and and began scanning it. Lyssa glanced over at all the Roman soldiers watching it, who had apparently come with Rory, and, remembering what they were, stepped away from them slightly.

"What is it, what's happening?" Rory asked.

"The final phase. It's opening," the Doctor explained, setting a hand on the turning gears.

Lyssa watched him guiltily before turning and following Rory up the stairs. "If River calls, tell her I said 'hi,'" she called over her shoulder to the Doctor, who was now laying on the ground by the Pandorica.

He called back a reply, but she didn't hear it, her eyes widening as she reached the top of the stairs. The sky was filled with ships flying everywhere, all aiming their light beams at Stonehenge.

Rory turned to Lyssa in concern. "Lyssa, do you know how to stop this?" She looked at him sadly. He blew out a breath. "I remember that look. You know what's going to happen, but you can't stop it, can you?"

She shook her head slowly. "I'm so sorry, Rory. But if I change what happens here... I don't even know what could go wrong." She hesitated before looking him in the eye and saying firmly, "But I promise you that everything will be fine in the end. Everything. Even if it doesn't seem possible at first, it will be okay. Remember that." He frowned, looking even more concerned now.

A loud, shrill noise suddenly echoed through the clearing, making them all wince. "Sorry, sorry, dropped it," the Doctor's voice said, echoing loudly as through a speaker. Rory looked around, trying to find him, while Lyssa smiled, happy to get to hear one of his 'epic speeches' in person for the first time.

"Hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe. But bad news, everyone..." The Doctor jumped up on the large stone. "'Cos guess who? Ha!" He spoke into the communicator, using it to amplify his voice. "Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about, it's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute? Because I am talking!"  
Lyssa couldn't help but laugh incredulously as the ships stilled.

"The question of the hour is, who's got the Pandorica? Answer... I do. Next question, who's coming to take it from me? Come on! Look at me, no plan, no back-up, no weapons worth a darn. Oh, and something else. I don't have anything... to... lose! So if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you. And then, AND THEN, do the smart thing." He stopped before speaking in a low, dangerous voice. "Let somebody else try first."

The ships were motionless for a moment before they all suddenly withdrew rapidly, making Lyssa and Rory sigh in relief. The Doctor threw Rory his communicator and jumped down. "That'll keep them squabbling for half an hour! Romans!" He darted back into the Underhenge, followed by the other two.

"They're still out there. What do we do?" Rory asked.

"If I can stop whatever's in this box getting out, then they'll go home," the Doctor explained. Lyssa's eyes widened, seeing a groggy Amy heading towards them.

"Right," Rory said, not seeing her.

"Rory, I'm sorry. You're going to have to be very brave now," the Doctor told him sadly. Rory frowned, opening his mouth to speak, his expression changing completely, then falling when Amy walked right past him.

"Oh, my head," she complained groggily.

"Open your mouth," the Doctor instructed, showing her what to do.

"Aaah," she did as he instructed.

Giving her a quick check-over, he patted her on the cheek and chuckled. "Just your basic knock-out drops. Get some fresh air, you'll be fine."

"Is it safe up there?" Amy asked.

"Not remotely, but it's fresh," he told her casually.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine," she muttered, turning and bumping into Rory. "Oh, you're the guy, yeah, the one who did the... swordy thing."

Lyssa, watching silently, felt her heart nearly break at the expression on her face as he said dumbly, "Yeah."

"Well, thanks for the swording. Nice swording," she complimented him groggily, patting him on the shoulder before walking off.

"No problem. My men are up there. They'll look after you," Rory told her, the pain evident on his face.

"Good. Love a Roman," Amy called over her shoulder as she went up the stairs.

Rory watched her until she left then turned to the Doctor. "She can't remember me. How can she not remember me?"

The Doctor looked at him sadly. "Because you never existed. There are cracks. Cracks in time. There's going to be a huge explosion in the future, on one particular day. And every other moment in history is cracking around it."

"So, how does this work?" Rory demanded. "What kind of explosion? What exploded?"

"Doesn't matter, the cracks are everywhere. Get too close and you can fall right out of the universe," the Doctor answered.

"So I fell through a crack and now I was never born?" Rory asked skeptically.

"Basically," the Doctor agreed, watching him with sympathy in his eyes.

"Well, how did I end up here?" Rory countered.

"I don't know, you shouldn't have. What happened? From your point of view, what physically happened?" the Doctor asked.

"I was in the cave, with you and Amy. I was dying and then I was just here, a Roman soldier. A proper Roman. Head full of Roman... stuff, a whole other life. Just here like I'd woken up from a dream. Started to think it was a dream. You and Amy and Leadworth. Then today, in the camp, the men were talking about the visitors, the girl with the red hair. I thought you'd come back for me. But she can't even remember me," the former nurse-turned-Roman said sadly.

"Oh, shut up," the Doctor said.

"What?" Rory frowned in confusion.

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out the red box that held Amy's ring and tossed it to him. "Go get her."

Rory shook his head. "But I don't understand. Why am I here?"

"Because you are. The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles, and that's the theory. Nine hundred years, never seen one yet. But this would do me. Now get upstairs. She's Amy, and she's surrounded by Romans. I'm not sure history can take it."

Rory chuckled and nodded, smiling fondly at the thought of his fiancée.

"Don't worry about her falling for anyone else, though," Lyssa called. "Something tells me that the only Roman she really feels anything for was originally born in the 20th century, is a nurse, and had a crush on her for years before ever getting the courage to admit it to her."

He smiled at her, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes. "Does this work, then? Do I really get her back?"

She chuckled. "Oh, I don't know. It's not like she ever cared about you, or was willing to die to be with you, or was willing to give up everything for you, or even give up - oh, wait. Spoilers."

She wrinkled her nose as she thought of how Amy tried to even give up Rory, so that he could be happy without her, finding someone else who could have children, completely forgetting how much he really loved her. She'd have to find some way to stop the redhead from even trying to think of that.

She shook her head and met Rory's eyes again, smiling softly. "I can't tell you too much, but I can tell you this, I think, without giving anything away. I want to find someone who loves me like you and Amy do each other. Because the universe itself can't break you apart. You're meant to be together, so, like the Doctor said, go get her."

He stared at her for a second, before stepping forward and catching her up in a tight hug unexpectedly. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that. And you told me more than you think. Thank you," he whispered, before stepping back to talk in a low voice with the Doctor. She smiled, watching them converse in low whispers. The story of Amy and Rory had always been inspiring to her, back home, and she had always loved how much they loved each other.

Lyssa leaned her arm against the wall, only to misjudge the distance and stumble, her hand almost going through the wall. The two men in front of her didn't notice, still talking. Staring at her apparently non-existent hand in shock, she pulled it out, only to see a transparent version of her hand, a glimmering gold dust beginning to snake around her hands and up her arms, spreading quickly. She tried to focus on her hands, but had to give it up after growing too dizzy to see straight.

"Doctor?" she called shakily, trying to lean on the wall again, but missing and falling to the ground with a thump that got the attention of both men.

"Lyssa! Are you leaving already?" the Doctor asked, a worried look on his face as he crouched beside her.

She huffed a laugh, immediately straining to take another breath. "You tell me. Do I tend to stay to the end of adventures, or do I take off right away?"

"Sorry," the Doctor chuckled weakly, a disappointed look on his face. "Spoilers."

"How did I know you were gonna say that," she moaned, hanging her head. The dizziness stopped after that, making her blink in surprise as she was no longer in the Underhenge, but the Eleventh Doctor's TARDIS, where River Song was standing talking into the communicator.

"Doctor, that centurion..." Her voice trailed off as she held up a picture of Rory and Amy. "It's a trap, it has to be. They used Amy to construct a scenario you'd believe to get close to you."

" _Why? Who'd do that? What for? It doesn't make sense,_ " the Doctor's voice complained from the communicator.

Lyssa finally found her voice. "River? Doctor?" She asked in surprise. The older woman spun around to face her.

"Lyssa? But how... and what happened to your hair?"

" _Lyssa?_ " the Doctor repeated as Lyssa fingered her tangled hair self-consciously. " _Why is she back so soon? It's only been a few minutes._ "

"It's uh... still me, Doctor," she called towards the communicator, shakily getting to her feet. "I was with you by the Pandorica about a minute ago for me." The console sparked suddenly as the TARDIS began to shake, sending the two women towards the floor with a thud.

" _Lyssa? River? River, what's happening?_ " the Doctor demanded. River pulled herself to her feet as Lyssa did the same, examining the console.

"I don't know. It's the engines, Doctor, there's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else is controlling it."

" _You're flying it wrong,_ " he told her, the worry plain in his voice.

"I'm flying it perfectly; Lyssa and the TARDIS taught me while you sat in the background and offered advice. And it was bad advice, might I add," River informed him indignantly.

"I did?" The brunette asked in surprise.

The Doctor ignored her question. " _Where are you? What's the date reading?_ "

Lyssa felt her heart sink even as River checked the monitor. "The 26th of June, 2010," she said softly.

There was a pause before the Doctor suddenly said urgently, " _You need to get out of there, now! Any other time zone, just go! Get Lyssa out of there!_ "

River flipped switches, trying to pilot the TARDIS but to no avail. "I can't break free!" she cried at last.

" _Well, then, shut down the TARDIS. Shut down everything!_ " the Doctor replied instantly.

"I can't!" River cried, the strain evident in her voice as she tried to get the TARDIS back under her control.

" _Silence will fall. Silence will fall_." A dark voice filled the TARDIS, a malice surrounding them. Lyssa gasped, clutching the railing around the console tight as chills ran along her spine.

"Something else is flying it. An external force. I've lost control," River realized.

" _But how? Why?_ " the Doctor asked, pausing for a moment before resuming communication. " _Listen to me, just land her anywhere and get Lyssa out of there! Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time, I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider. The TARDIS exploding is what causes them, but we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her!_ "

"It's not safe," River told him as the TARDIS suddenly stopped. "Doctor, we're down. We've landed."

The relief in his voice was audible. " _Okay, just walk out of the doors If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down. Just get her out of there!_ "

"We're going!" River snapped.

" _Run!_ " the Doctor shouted in return.

"Come on, pixie!" River gestured, running to the doors and trying in vain to open them. Leaving Lyssa by the doors, she darted back to the communicator. "Doctor! Doctor, I can't open the doors! Lyssa and I are trapped in here! Doctor, please, we've got seconds!" she pleaded into the communicator. But there was only silence.

She shouted in frustration then grabbed two jumper cables from a nearby box and ran them from the console to the main door. Lyssa watched her anxiously, a bad feeling beginning to form in her stomach. She was forgetting something important, she just couldn't think of what. She stumbled away from the console a few steps as sparks continued to fly.

"I've almost got it, Lyssa," River assured her, running back to the console and flipping a switch that set off more sparks and explosions. Returning to the doors, she flipped them open expectantly, only to be met with a stone wall. She turned around slowly as Lyssa stared at the wall in horror, suddenly remembering what was happening. "I'm sorry, pixie," River said softly as the console exploded with a bright light.

* * *

 **A/N: When I had it all written out on paper, I thought it would almost be too long. Instead, I ended up having to add in some more stuff. But that's all right, I suppose. And I always loved Amy and Rory together. They, more than anyone else, deserved to be together. I just love them, so much. :)**

 **Thanks to everyone who's favorites and followed, and special thanks to bored411 and E-man-dy-S for reviewing! I can't respond personally, as my phone is acting up, but I love getting each of your reviews!**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, it belongs to the BBC, sadly enough.**


	13. Chapter 13 - The Big Bang

Lyssa clutched her head, groaning as a sharp pain suddenly assailed her head. River shouted in frustration, then grabbed two jumper cables from a nearby box and ran them from the console to the main door. Lyssa watched her anxiously, a bad feeling beginning to form in her stomach. She was forgetting something important, she just couldn't think of what. She stumbled away from the console a few steps as sparks continued to fly, wincing in pain.

"I've almost got it, Lyssa," River assured her, running back to the console and flipping a switch that set off more sparks and explosions. Lyssa, watching as she ran to the door, felt her nervousness increase in time with her growing headache.

There was a bright flash of light suddenly as the Doctor appeared, River's vortex manipulator on his wrist, and a bright red fez upon his head. "Hi, fairy-girl. I'm home," he grinned, though his eyes were worried as he looked at Lyssa.

"And what sort of time do you call this?" River demanded, looking at her watch.

"The end of time," he told her seriously, watching Lyssa closely. "Lyssa, you all right?"

She blinked, feeling the pain starting to recede steadily. "I think so? My head began to really hurt for some reason, but it's getting better now."

"Yeah, that would be the time loop you and River were trapped in," he informed her. "You were aware of it on a subconscious level, and that caused a disruption in your memory centers each time the loop restarted," he explained. "But enough chatting. We need to get back out there. The TARDIS has extended the loop for now, but time is running out. River, grab my wrist. Lyssa, come over here, please," he requested.

River placed a hand on his wrist next to his vortex manipulator as Lyssa quickly hurried over to them. She was going to grab hold of his other wrist, but when she got there, the Doctor pulled her into his arms, then activated the manipulator, River laughing at the startled look on her face as they disappeared. They reappeared with a flash on the roof of a museum, Amy and Rory standing there waiting. Lyssa's hands went straight to her stomach as she felt it lurch.

"Lyssa? What's wrong?" the Doctor asked immediately, releasing her.

She groaned, waving him off. "I'm fine, my stomach just doesn't like the vortex manipulator very much. Just give me a minute, I'll be fine."

"Amy! And the plastic centurion?" River asked, noticing the couple for the first time.

"It's okay, he's on our side," the Doctor assured her.

"Really? I dated a Nestene Duplicate once. Swappable head, it did keep things fresh. Right then. I have questions. But number one is this... What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?" River demanded in exasperation.

"It's a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are cool," the Doctor said proudly, making Lyssa laugh. River shot a look at Amy, who smirked and snatched it from his head, tossing it into the sky where River shot it, blasting it into several pieces. "Oh!" the Doctor pouted. "Why do you always do that?"

Lyssa patted his arm in consolation. "I'll get you another one."

He grinned, but it fell when a cold, robotic voice chimed in: " **Exterminate**!" A rusty Dalek appeared, levitating up the side of the building.

The Doctor began backing up immediately, dragging Lyssa back with him. "Run. Run, move, move! Go! Come on!" he shouted, covering their retreat with the satellite dish, holding it up like a shield as the Dalek fired.

They all ran back through the stairwell, the Doctor using his sonic to seal the hatch while River aimed her gun at it. "Doctor, come on!" she urged.

"Shh," he hushed her. "It's moving away, finding another way in," he muttered, climbing down the ladder and continuing towards the stairs.

"It needs to restore its power before it can attack again. Now, that means that we've got exactly..." He checked his watch. "Four and a half minutes before it's at lethal capacity."

"How do you know that?" River hissed, following him and Lyssa.

"Because that's when it's due to kill me," he said nonchalantly.

River and Lyssa stared at each other in shock before River whipped her head around to face the Doctor again. "Kill you? What do you mean, kill you? What about -"

"Oh, shut up. Never mind," the Doctor cut her off. "How can that Dalek even exist?" he asked, changing the subject as they walked through the hallway to the exhibit hall. "It was erased from time, and it came back. How?"

"You said the light from the Pandorica..." Rory suggested.

The Doctor shook his head as they entered the exhibit hall. "It's not a light, it's a restoration field, but never mind. Call it a light. That light brought Amy back, but how could it bring back a Dalek when the Daleks have never existed?"

"Okay, tell us," Amy said, seeing that it was a question he already intended to answer.

"When the TARDIS blew up, it caused a total event collapse. A time explosion," he explained. "It blasted every atom in every moment of the universe. Except..."

"Except inside the Pandorica," Amy realized.

The Doctor pointed at her. "The perfect prison. Inside it, perfectly preserved, are a few billion atoms of the universe as it was. In theory, you could extrapolate the whole universe from a single cell. And we've got the bumper family pack."

Rory shook his head. "No. Too fast. Not getting it."

"The box contains a memory of the universe, and the light transmits the memory. And that's how we're going to do it," the Doctor simplified his explanation.

But apparently not enough, as Amy asked, "Do what?"

"Relight the fire. Reboot the universe. Come on!" he urged, continuing on out of the room, followed by Lyssa, who had been listening with a smirk the whole time.

Amy and Rory looked at each other as River caught up with them. "Doctor, you're being completely ridiculous," she stated.

"Nah, that's just his day job," Lyssa said casually.

"Rude," the Doctor protested, hurrying into the hallway again.

"The Pandorica partially restored one Dalek. If it can't even reboot a single life form properly, how will it reboot the whole of reality?" River objected.

"What if we give it a moment of infinite power?" the Doctor countered. "Transmit the light from the Pandorica to every particle of space and time simultaneously?"

"Well, that would be lovely, Doctor, but we can't, because it's completely impossible," River pointed out.

The Doctor put an arm around Lyssa. "Always so negative, River. You should be more like Lyssa. She knows what I'm going to do, and agrees with me. Or, at least, she hasn't told me to find a new plan yet. And further," he tapped River on the forehead. "It's _almost_ completely impossible. One spark is all we need; you can do a lot with one little spark."

"For what?" River frowned, not getting it.

"Big Bang Two," the Doctor whispered, releasing Lyssa and stepping away from her slightly. "Now listen..."

The Dalek appeared around the corner suddenly, making the group scream and jump back as it fired at the Doctor, sending him to the floor. " **Exterminate**! **Exterminate**!" it shouted as it moved towards them. Lyssa staggered back as River knelt by the Doctor, clutching her chest. There had been a sudden, sharp pain in the right side of her chest, but it was quickly fading to a dull throb.

"Get back! River, get back now!" Rory ordered, shoving Amy behind him. Flipping half his hand down, he fired at the Dalek, draining it of energy again.

River started to say something to the Doctor, but Lyssa didn't hear her. The pain in her chest had reappeared again, and her vision had started to blur. When everything cleared, the Doctor was gone. "No!" she gasped, realizing what that meant.

"He went downstairs. Ten minutes ago," Amy was explaining to River, before they all looked over at her.

"Lyssa, are you all right? You've turned pale," Rory asked in concern.

She clumsily got to her feet and started staggering down the hall. "I'm fine. But watch out for the Dalek," she muttered as the Dalek returned to life, feeling somewhat foggy but getting more clear-headed as she continued.

Amy and Rory ran back to the stairs where the Doctor had 'died,' but Lyssa kept going on towards the exhibit hall where the Pandorica and the Doctor were. Ignoring all the now-empty exhibits, she hurried on towards the Doctor, who was sitting in the Pandorica, in the process of strapping himself in.

She crouched down in front of him. "Doctor?" she asked softly.

He opened his eyes slowly, becoming more alert as he saw her. "Lyssa?" he mumbled.

"I'm here." She tried to smile. "You doing all right?"

"Been better," he shrugged, grimacing as more pain struck, closing his eyes wearily.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted suddenly, running towards them with Rory and River close behind.

Lyssa got to her feet, rubbing her chest as the pain began to increase again. She moved away a few feet and closed her eyes as River talked to the Doctor, trying to figure out what she should do. She had no idea what would happen to her when the Doctor flew into the exploding TARDIS. She wasn't a part of this universe originally, so when it was reset - who knew what would happen.

River walked out of the Pandorica a moment later, her face tight. "He wants to talk to you, Lyssa." She frowned in surprise; it was supposed to be Amy he had asked for.

Nodding, she walked back over to the Doctor, whose face was drawn tight with pain. He still managed to smile when he saw her. "Hello, my fairy-girl. Guess you won't have to go through all that jumping after all."

Even though she knew it would somehow work out in the end, she still felt tears springing into her eyes as she knelt in front of him. "I think I could have lived with it."

His hand reached out and gently touched her necklace, still devoid of any charms or jewels. "You're still so new," he whispered. "You don't know anything of what's really going to happen. There's so much you'll never see... that I'll never get to show you, never get to do with you... I'm sorry."

"Doctor..." Lyssa bit her lip. "What's going to happen to me?"

He shifted a little, grimacing in pain. "If you came with me, you'd be erased from existence completely. And I'm not going to let that happen. If you stay here, time should rewrite itself to include you in it, so you'll wake up tomorrow with a home, and, maybe, a family."

"But not you," she returned softly.

His eyes turned sad. "No. And I won't have you either. But I will do anything to keep you safe, Lyssa Mae Devons. And if that means we spend the rest of our lives without the other, then so be it."

"Why?" Lyssa breathed, shaking her head. "I hardly know you, why do you care so much?"

The Doctor smiled slightly. "Spoilers. Just... whatever happens, promise me this. Remember that no matter where you are, I care about you. I have since the day I met you, oh so long ago, and I always will."

She nodded, tears blurring her vision. "I will," she promised, voice slightly shaky. He smiled at her, a smile she hadn't really seen from him before - whether during her previous visit, or on TV back home. It was bright and happy, filled with peace, and something else she couldn't translate.

He squeezed her hand tightly, startling her as warmth flooded her hands at the touch. She looked down, suddenly remembering what he had said. It happened most in times of high emotion. And the Doctor was dying. Forget about what might happen to her, about what River had said back in the cell. Forget that she had barely known him all of two weeks. Right here, right now, he was dying. And she didn't want him to.

"Hey." The Doctor caught her chin gently with one hand and wiped a tear away with the other, tilting her head up to look at him. "It'll be all right. Just trust me."

She nodded vigorously. "I do, I do. I promise."

He chuckled, wincing as another pain surge seemed to hit. "That's... good to hear. Now, would you mind getting Amy? I'll see you again in a minute, but I need to talk to her before I go." She nodded again, smiling weakly and squeezing his hand tight before releasing it, walking off to get Amy.

"He wants to talk to you," she informed the redhead, her voice thick. Amy hesitated, but then joined the Doctor, talking to him softly. Lyssa stood by Rory. Their conversation was private, and she didn't need to listen in.

"So how are you really?" Rory asked her after a moment.

She shrugged, frowning as the pain in her chest seemed to spike for a minute before decreasing again. "Physically? Fine, except that my chest keeps hurting. Emotionally? I feel lost. Drained. Scared. I've only known him for two weeks, if that, and already I'm afraid of him dying." She swallowed hard and shook her head.

Amy rejoined them a moment later. "He wants to say good-bye," she told Lyssa, looking rather shaken.

Lyssa frowned, but hurried back to the Pandorica. He looked even worse now. "What's the matter? Had to see my beautiful face one more time before you go?" she teased, forcing a smile she didn't feel.

He smiled and shook his head wearily. "I want your face to be the last thing I see, yes, but I'd rather it be smiling. A real smile," he told her gently.

The smile dropped completely from her face instead. "I don't know if I can smile for real right now," she said quietly. "You're the only person I really know or trust in this universe, and you're dying. Worse than that, you're about to be erased from existence, which means that I could forget all about you!"

"Hey, it's not all that bad," he said, fighting off another wave of pain. "You could end up with a loving family, and be happy in one place. You'd be safer, too. So much safer," he said, his eyes distant and sad. "They were going to put you in the Pandorica, you know. They didn't know who you were specifically, but it was you they wanted to put in. At least, I'm fairly certain it was you. Don't know who else it could be."

Lyssa reeled back in surprise. "What? Me? But why?"

He shook his head, closing his eyes wearily. "I don't know. I didn't really have the time for a chat. But they were going to put you in there. You and someone I pray you will never have to meet. Now you'll never get to meet them. Never have to worry about getting hurt, either, I suppose," he mumbled, trailing off. "Anyways. So, it was probably a good thing that you jumped then, even though... well, spoilers, I suppose; not that it matters much now. But hey. You know what?"

"What?" Lyssa asked, tilting her head to the side.

He winked at her. "Gotcha!" Unable to help herself, she smiled. "Aha! There's that smile!" he said proudly, tapping her on the nose before squeezing her hand, then releasing it, pressing a button on the vortex manipulator he had connected to the Pandorica. Lyssa backed up slowly as the Pandorica began to close. The Doctor caught her eye at the last moment and grinned weakly, mouthing something she didn't catch as the doors shut completely, and the Pandorica began to glow.

"Lyssa! Get back!" River shouted, pulling her back towards Rory and Amy as the Pandorica lifted off the ground. Lyssa closed her eyes, wincing as the pain in her chest began to increase right as River's communicator beeped. "It's a message from the Doctor," she said, looking skyward.

"What's it say?" Amy asked from her position by the wall, Rory sitting beside her.

"Geronimo," Lyssa muttered at the same time as River, before gasping as the pain suddenly increased sharply.

"Lyssa? What's wrong?" Rory asked, hurrying to her side.

She shook her head. "I don't know," she panted, clutching her hand to her chest.

"Lyssa, your hand," River said, staring at it with a frown.

Lyssa looked down at her hand. It was disappearing again, but this time, there was no gold, no dizziness. Just pain. "I don't understand," she panted. "Am I jumping again?" she asked uncertainly.

The question seemed to connect the dots in River's brain as her mouth formed an 'O' of realization. "Oh," the older woman breathed. "Lyssa, you're connected to the Doctor's timeline. That's why you keep jumping all over. And the Doctor is both dying and being erased from history at the same time. And that means -"

"I'm being erased too?" Lyssa asked rhetorically, looking down at her feet, which were now fading as well.

River nodded somberly. "I'm sorry, pixie. But there's nothing we can do. Just hold on, all right? I'm sure the Doctor will find a way to fix this."

Lyssa smiled wryly, wincing as the pain in her chest increased again. She was almost completely transparent now. "It's all right, River. If I had to go, might as well go out with a _bang_ , eh?" she tried to joke. River smirked, though Rory and Amy only looked more concerned. It was the last thing she saw as the pain increased, spreading throughout her body before fading completely as everything went black.

xXx

There was only emptiness at first. No memories, or sound, or feeling. There was no time passing, or sense of being. And then there was. There wasn't any light at the end of the tunnel, or whooshing winds propelling her to consciousness. She simply... wasn't. And then she was.

She opened her eyes and found that she could see, that she could feel, and hear. She was sitting on the floor of the TARDIS wardrobe, with the ship humming, trying to get some sort of message across.

She blinked, frowning as she tried to remember what was going on. "How did I get here?" she asked, looking around at the racks of clothing in the enormous room. The ship buzzed in response, but she shook her head, unable to make out what she was trying to say.

"I can't understand you, sorry," she said regretfully. "But... what happened? I was..." Her voice trailed off as her memories returned. "Wait a minute. If I was erased from time, then how did I end up here?"

The ship buzzed again, then the lights flickered and went out, leaving a spotlight on a single rack of clothes. She frowned. "Do you... want me to go over there?" The ship hummed once, then turned the light off then on again, centering on the rack. She blinked, then shrugged and struggled to her feet, finding that her legs were weak and rather unwilling to hold her.

Holding onto the walls for support, she made her way over to the rack, then looked around to see if there was anything to give her a clue as to what she was supposed to do next. There was a row of formal dresses hanging on the rack, but that was about it. No notes or anything. She frowned again. "Okay, I'm here. Now what?"

The ship hummed again, sounding almost fondly exasperated before giving the rack a gentle shake. "Oh. Am I supposed to pick one? Am I going somewhere that I need to dress up for?" The lights flickered once in response. "I'll take that as a yes, then," she muttered, running a hand through the clothes.

There were all sorts of dresses there, from swirly ball gowns to short spring dresses. She picked one that seemed in the middle, as she wasn't entirely certain what sort of event she'd be going to. It was a long blue dress that ran down to her feet, covered in a shimmery sort of material that made it seem to sparkle in the light. It faded to purple near the bottom, and covered her shoulders with a short scarf of the same material, connecting in the middle with a silver clasp that matched her necklace. She ran her fingers over it as she thought of it, before pulling the dress off the rack and holding it at arms length to examine it.

"I think I like this one. What do you think?" She asked the TARDIS. The ship hummed, before switching the light to a small, sectioned off area over by one side. "I'm guessing that's the changing room then?" she asked, heading over towards it, still limping slightly. When she got there, she pushed the door open gently, and found a small room with mirrors all along the walls, and a bench to sit on by another. Shutting the door behind her, she quickly shed her clothes and slipped the dress on before turning to look in the mirror.

She couldn't help but gasp slightly when she saw the dress. It fit her perfectly, allowing her to breathe without hanging too loosely off her skin, hugging her waist before dropping smoothly to the ground. Her necklace accentuated the gown without seeming too bland or overpowering.

Then her eyes traveled even further up, and her face fell. She had forgotten what the Cyberman had done to her hair when it shocked her. Rather than being calmed after being erased from existence, it seemed to have made the problem worse. Running a hand through her hair in frustration, she stopped and winced as it caught on a bad snarl.

Sighing, she began to look around for a brush, or a ponytail, or something to control it, but then heard the door click open behind her. Whirling around, she saw no one there. Pushing it open warily, she saw the lights centered on something new - a make-up table she could have sworn was not there before she entered the room. On it were bottles and brushes of all sorts and sizes. Making her way over to it, she sat down on the comfy chair that had apparently come with it, grabbed a brush and detangling spray, and set to work.

When she left the room fifteen minutes later, she was still a bit wide-eyed at what had happened. The TARDIS had pulled out a machine that had managed to detangle and curl her hair simultaneously in five minutes, before retreating into the wall again once it was done. After staring into the mirror in shock, she shook her head and looked down at the rows of make-up bottles on the table, most of which she had never even heard of before - and that was the ones that looked like they had come from Earth.

Applying only mascara, eyeliner and blush, she decided to call it good before she went too far and ended up looking like a clown. Sticking a silver butterfly pin into her hair, she stood up, sighing once her feet hit the cold floor again and reminded her that she was still barefoot.

"Hey, um. Old girl?" she called awkwardly. "I don't suppose you happen to have any shoes that might go with this dress?" There was an amused hum before the light pointed to an area right by the stairs. "Right," she nodded. "They were there before, weren't they? And I walked right past them, didn't I?" The lights flickered once.

Shaking her head at her not exactly stellar observational skills, she hurried over, glad that her legs seemed to be working again aside from the odd twinge here and there. Looking over the vast array of shoes that the TARDIS had set out that would go with her dress in some way or another, she stopped wistfully at a set of silver high heels that would have matched perfectly, but then frowned. She could barely walk in anything higher than an inch off the ground, and these were at least three. She wouldn't be able to walk, let alone run, if the occasion were to come up.

Sighing sadly, she chose a pair of TARDIS blue ballet flats and slipped them on, once again marveling at how they fit perfectly. "I don't know whether to be grateful that everything's exactly my size, or be a bit alarmed at how much you know about me already," she said with a laugh, starting the long trek up the stairs, holding up her dress to keep from tripping over it. Though she knew the stairs to be several flights long from the show, the TARDIS seemed to shorten it, making her arrive at the top after only a short trip.

Pushing open the door at the top, the TARDIS led her down a hallway, two left turns, three right turns, up a flight of stairs, down another, then four more left turns before she arrived in the console room. It was empty, with no sign of any other occupants.

"Hello? Doctor?" she called out. No one answered. She stepped forward cautiously. "Is anyone in here?" She was feeling a bit unnerved now at the silence, even though she knew that she was safe enough in the TARDIS.

The front door creaked open slightly. She slowly walked forward and pushed it open, revealing what looked like a backyard. She stepped out, not sure where she was, but hearing what sounded like a party from the building up ahead. The TARDIS shut behind her with a click.

She spun around and tugged on the door. It didn't budge. "Oh, come on! What's that for?" she demanded. After a minute of fruitless tugging and no response, she sighed and gave up, resolving to see if anyone at the party would be willing to help her. She looked down at her dress. "At least I won't look too out of place, as long as it's a nicer party," she mumbled, walking towards it.

The doors were unlocked when she tried them, and she managed to slip in. There was music, and lights, and people dancing. "Hold on. This is a wedding," she realized, catching sight of a white cake on a table. "I can't crash someone's wedding!" She shook her head and started to turn around, deciding to try her luck elsewhere. But the door behind her had been blocked by a couple of guests chatting to someone else on their way out, and she was unwilling to disturb them.

Sticking close to the wall, she tried to slip around the room and find another exit, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice by the corner of the room, where a tall man in a suit was sitting, talking to the bride and groom.

"So... where's Lyssa?" the Eleventh Doctor was asking.

"We don't know. I thought she would show up when you did. Are you saying that she's not with you?" Amy replied, sounding worried.

"No... she should have been here with everyone else when time was reset. Are you sure she wasn't here?" the Doctor demanded, his voice rising slightly with concern.

"Positive," Amy confirmed. "I woke up this morning, with my mum and dad, but I didn't remember you or Lyssa until after the ceremony. Then you showed up, so I assumed she would be with you. But... if she's not... then where is she?"

"I don't know. She's probably still lost somewhere," Lyssa commented casually, coming up behind them and making them them all jump. "You should probably try and find her. Maybe start in Antarctica. I hear she likes penguins."

The Doctor jumped to his feet and spun around in one movement, his face lighting up when he saw her. "Lyssa! You're here!" he cried happily, shoving the chair aside and pulling her into a tight hug.

She laughed, hugging him back. "Yeah. Don't fully know what happened, but I'm here."

He stepped back a pace, still keeping his arms around her, then looked her over for any sign of injuries. "I thought you'd be safe staying behind, but you weren't. Instead, you were erased from time along with me, and only came back because Amy was able to remember us both. Are you sure you're okay?"

She smiled. "I'm fine, Doctor. I woke up on the floor in the wardrobe room, where the TARDIS had me get dressed up in this fancy outfit," she said, indicating her dress. "And then led me outside, before literally locking me out. So I came here to see if I could find out where I was, and try and figure something out from there. Then I overheard you talking, and, well, you know the rest."

"And there's no side effects?" the Doctor asked, looking her in the eyes for signs that she was hiding some sort of pain or injury.

She shook her head. "I had trouble standing when I first woke up, but it faded pretty quickly, and I can walk almost completely normal now."

He frowned, but didn't say anything further, instead turning back to Amy and Rory, leaving an arm slung around Lyssa's shoulder. "Well, Pond, looks like you brought both of us back after all. Thanks for that. I've grown used to having Lyssa around, now, and it'd be too quiet if she stopped showing up suddenly."

Lyssa snorted and wriggled out of his arms, grabbing first Amy and then Rory in a hug. "As if you never got into trouble before I came along, or when I'm not around. And congratulations by the way, you two. Sorry I missed the ceremony, but I wish you both the best in your new life. And, you know, thanks for saving me back there. I kind of like it here."

Rory chuckled, returning the hug warmly. "Thanks yourself. We're glad to see you're all right. We were getting worried for a minute there. Thought you might not be coming back." He released her, and the Doctor immediately drew her back into his arms, resting her back against his chest.

She tilted her head back up to look at him. "Are... you planning on letting me go anytime soon? Or am I just supposed to stay like this all night?" He chuckled, but she could see something in his eyes that seemed off - not worry, per se, but maybe fear was a better word.

"Last time I let you go, you almost died and were actually erased from existence. Let me have a little bit of reassurance that you're still alive and here with me," he pleaded jokingly, though she could detect a bit of truth in his words.

She sighed in false dejection. "I suppose," she said, sounding as if it were a great sacrifice.

But if she were being honest... she couldn't quite believe that she was really here either, and while she had felt fine before with being in this universe, she had had a thorough reality check of the precariousness of her situation. And the prospect of being with someone who she knew would protect her, and was himself safe as well, helped her to lose some of the inner tension she had been subconsciously been feeling ever since she woke up.

Amy smiled at the two of them, before looking up as the music changed to a slow, steady dance. "Oh, this is perfect. You two should come up and dance with us," she urged, pulling Rory towards the dance floor, which now held one or two couples dancing slowly to the music.

The Doctor looked down at her and tilted his head towards the floor. "What do you think, fairy-girl? Should we give it a go?"

Her lips twisted as she thought. "Well, I'm not the best at dancing, I never really had any occasion to practice it. And isn't your idea of dancing basically teaching children the 'drunken giraffe?'"

His eyes gleamed with humor. "No. But now that you mention it, that does seem like a fun dance to try. Thanks for reminding me."

She groaned and let her head thud against his chest. "I give up. Fine. Show me what your original idea of 'dancing' is, but please. Go easy on me."

He laughed as she lifted up her head and pouted at him. "Don't worry, I think I remember how to dance the waltz. And it's easy enough to learn," he added, leading her onto the dance floor and pulling her into the closed-dance position with one arm on her shoulder and the other holding her hand as he began to lead her around the dance floor in a slow waltz.

Lyssa caught onto the simple steps easily enough, and was even able to fumble her way through a turn as they slowly spun, catching sight of Rory and Amy twirling gracefully and expertly to the music ahead of them. "You're a lot better at this than I thought you'd be," she commented after they returned to the normal rhythm.

He smiled. "I can be graceful when the occasion calls for it. Like now. You look lovely, by the way. I'm assuming the TARDIS helped you pick a dress?"

She nodded, a wry smile appearing on her face even as she blushed. "She helped me get ready much faster than I could have on my own."

The Doctor shrugged. "She's pretty good at that, though she still somehow manages to land me in the most awkward of positions sometimes."

Lyssa chuckled. "Are you sure that's her, and not just your driving?"

He feigned indignation. "I'll have you know that I'm an excellent driver."

"Uh-huh," Lyssa said disbelievingly. "And of the two of us, which of us passed the driving test?"

"That's hardly fair," he sputtered indignantly. "Driving a TARDIS is much more complex than driving a car," he said, making a face on the last word. "There's virtually nothing similar between them. And you never even took the test!"

Lyssa nodded knowingly, hiding a smile as the song ended and he led her off the dance floor. "Of course not."

Then, as the Doctor turned to look for some chairs, she shook her head and smiled, muttering, "Boys and their cars. Two hearts or one, still the same." He turned to look back at her, but she smiled innocently, only for him to raise an eyebrow at her skeptically.

His expression changed when the next song started, an upbeat song that had the children flocking to the dance floor. "Go on," Lyssa said, giving him a gentle shove before sitting down. "You know you want to."

He looked her over and smiled, squeezing her hand tight. "I'll be back in a mo'," he promised before running over to join them, quickly getting caught up in the beat, and showing no sign of the smooth, elegant dancer that had been there a moment ago, all the children laughing and starting to copy him.

Amy and Rory joined her a moment later, Amy sitting beside her, while Rory stood behind her, an arm around her shoulder. "You're terrible. That is embarrassing!" Amy laughed, watching his arms flail about.

Lyssa nodded ruefully. "I think that's his natural state. I honestly don't know where the smooth dancer came from." She couldn't help but chuckle as the Doctor proceeded to teach the children how to dance like him.

"That's it. That's good. Keep it loose," he encouraged them. Rory and Amy looked at each other and shook their heads, shaking with laughter before Rory bent down to kiss Amy gently, love evident in both their expressions.

After the song had finished, the Doctor sent all the children back to their parents, and rejoined Lyssa, grasping her hand in his and running his thumb over her hand, soothing the slight tension she had felt when he had left before, even though she had been able to see him. Amy and Rory went out onto the floor again for another slow dance, wrapped in each others' arms as they swayed to the music.

Lyssa just sat and leaned her head against the Doctor as he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. "Two thousand years. The boy who waited. Good on you, mate," he said softly as they watched the newly wedded couple dance slowly. "Good on you."

* * *

 **A/N: And, here's the end of The Pandorica Opens and Big Bang! Ta da! There is a reason Lyssa is trusting the Doctor with so much so soon, and it should be addressed, at least a little bit, in the next chapter. Also, I like happy stories, and this chapter needed a happy ending. But Lyssa didn't quite get off scot-free, so... there will be side effects. :/**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout out to E-man-dy-S and a guest for reviewing! Also, there are almost 6,000 reads already! 0.0 Oh my gosh, thank you all so much! :)**

 _ **E-man-dy-S: Thanks! Spoilers will be revealed in due time, and a pretty big one will be revealed in the next chapter... ;)**_

 _ **Guest: Hahaha, spoilers! ;) Seriously, though, the Siren and the Oracle will be playing some important parts in this story in later chapters. I can't necessarily say that you're right or wrong without giving too much away, so we'll just say that I can say neither yes or no. You'll have to wait and see. Thanks for reviewing!**_

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa**


	14. Chapter 14 - Time Flies

They stayed at the reception for another half hour, the Doctor taking Lyssa back out onto the dance floor for another dance, before they both looked at the newly married couple completely absorbed in each other and decided without speaking that it was time to step out for the night. Lyssa couldn't help but smile as she looked back and saw Rory pull Amy in for another kiss.

"They deserve each other," she whispered to the Doctor as they stepped outside into the cool night air, arm in arm.

He nodded, a soft smile appearing on his face. "More than you know."

Lyssa looked up at the sky as they walked towards the TARDIS, enjoying the breeze on her face, and watching the bright stars as they twinkled far above them. "Looks like all the stars have made it back," she commented.

The Doctor looked up and chuckled, pulling out his TARDIS key. "And there might even be an extra star or two out there. Pond always was a dreamer."

Lyssa swiveled her head around to stare at him. "Wait. There's... _more_ stars now? How is that possible?"

He stopped and looked down at her, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "She was able to bring both of us, and her parents, and all the stars that ever were back into existence simply because she remembered us, and you question the appearance of a new star?"

She snorted. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess it sounds a little bit strange. But come on. My life just got thrown upside down less than two weeks ago. Let me complain about this one thing that doesn't make sense," she protested.

"Does anything ever really make sense when he's around?" A new voice said, interrupting their conversation and stopping the Doctor from putting the key in the door. They both spun around to see River standing there looking as elegant as ever in a black dress, her curls hanging loosely around her face.

"River!" Lyssa cried happily, releasing the Doctor to grab the older woman in a hug. River laughed, returning the hug before returning her to the Doctor, who seemed to be quite happy to get her back, slinging his arm around her shoulders.

"To answer your previous question with one of my own, how about you tell me?" Lyssa countered. "You both apparently know me a lot better than I know you, so...?" She eyed them both curiously, expecting a 'spoilers!' in response.

Instead, River smirked, her eyes dancing. "I think lots of things start to make sense after a while... If you know what you're doing, which he rarely does. It's why he's such a bad driver."

"Oi!" he protested. "I'm not that bad!"

River just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Leadworth. Off by twelve years. Rose. Off by one year. Norgalith. Thorkan's drive. I hardly need to expound on that one, don't you agree?"

"I - well - No," he muttered in defeat, pouting. He brightened up though, a minute later, pulling River's old, worn journal out of his pocket and handing it to her. "The writing's all back, but I didn't peek."

She smiled, looking happy to see it again. "Thank you."

"Hold on," Lyssa objected, suddenly remembering something. "Wasn't that one of Rory and Amy's wedding presents? Did you nick that off the gift table? Also, how do you know that the writing's back, if you _didn't_ peek?" She eyed him. "Doctor, have you been cheating?" she asked teasingly.

He looked offended. "I have not," he defended himself. "And I don't think that the humans really need access to the secrets that River Song may have written in her journal. Not yet, anyways. They can create enough problems on their own. And speaking of secrets," he added, pulling out River's vortex manipulator and handing it to her. "Here's this back. Might need it for something in the future. No spoilers though," he added mockingly. He paused, watching her look it over. "Are you married, River?"

She started to put the vortex manipulator on. "Are you asking?"

"Yes," the Doctor said simply, not sure where this might be leading. She looked up, then over at Lyssa closely, obviously thinking about something.

After a minute, she smiled, and said, "Spoilers. I'm not married to you, though, if that's what you're asking."

He looked repulsed by the thought. "Eww, no. Why would I want to marry you? And why would I ask _that_? Especially considering... well, you know." He looked down at Lyssa, who was watching them both with a semi-confused expression on her face. "Wait. That wasn't very polite, was it?"

Blinking, she snapped out of her thoughts. Thinking about what he had just said, she snorted and shook her head. "Not really, no."

He looked back at River. "Sorry."

She smirked at them both. "No worries, Doctor. I understand. Spoilers, you know," she said, raising her eyebrows knowingly. "I know what you were trying to say."

He sighed and shook his head. "River... who are you?"

She smiled sadly. "You're going to find out very soon now. And I'm sorry, but that's when everything changes," she breathed, looking at Lyssa with concern. "Take care of her, Doctor," she said, activating her manipulator and disappearing with a flash.

The Doctor looked down at Lyssa. "Do you know what she meant by that?"

She frowned uncertainly. "I don't know. In theory, if things haven't changed from what I know, then yes. I do. But the way she acted, and the way this conversation changed... I think what she was talking about, at least, is different from what it's supposed to be."

The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS door and pushed it open, pausing to let her in. He stopped, thinking back over the conversation, and arriving at some sort of conclusion that made him frown.

"Lyssa, you know that some things are different from what you know, right?" He asked in concern.

She frowned, not sure where he was going with this. "Well, obviously. I'm here, for one. And I've already seen things change. And I've been able to change things myself, like how Ashton and Abby didn't die when we were heading towards the sun."

He shook his head. "Well, that's not quite what I meant, but close enough. Lyssa, yes, things have changed from what you know, but that doesn't necessarily mean that things are different from what they're _supposed_ to be here."

She furrowed her brow. "I don't understand."

He ran a hand through his hair, sliding it back from his face. "The basic stream of events seems to be the same for the most part. But, this is not the universe you saw that take place in. You're here. You've been here for quite a while, from my point of view. You're supposed to be here in this timeline. I've seen what happens what you're taken out of the timeline," he added in a quieter voice, his eyes distant and unhappy.

"I know you won't understand fully for a while, but try to at least understand that you're supposed to be here, I want you here, and time isn't being destroyed just because some things are different from what you know. Even some of the bigger things," he added, seeing her start to object. "Have you got that?"

She nodded. "Loud and clear."

He nodded in satisfaction. "Good."

He released her and danced his way up to the console. He was about to flip a switch when the door opened and Amy came marching in, still in her wedding dress. "Oi! Where are you off to?" she demanded. "We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet!"

Lyssa chuckled and moved towards her, noticing her husband come up behind her. Her eyes twinkling, she said, "Don't worry, Amy, there's still time. We'll wait for you." Pushing the new bride out the door and into Rory's arms, she shut the door behind them and moved back to the console where the Doctor was waiting, amusement clear on his face. "That should take them a minute or two," she said with satisfaction.

It was, in fact, three minutes later when the couple came in, Amy's curls a bit disheveled and both of them looking extremely happy. Amy waggled a finger at Lyssa as she came marching up to her. "That was... actually really nice," she admitted. "But anyways. Where were you planning on going?" she asked, spinning on the Doctor, who managed to hide his smile better than Lyssa.

"Sorry, you two... Shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know?" he said with a shrug. "But we both thought it was time to leave."

"You just saved the whole of space and time. Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow," Rory suggested, a bit disbelieving.

The Doctor looked at him seriously. "Space and time isn't safe yet. The TARDIS exploded for a reason. Something drew the TARDIS to this particular date, and blew it up." He frowned as the phone began to ring. "Why? And why now? The Silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to... Excuse me a moment," he trailed off as he answered the phone.

"Hello. Oh! Hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line. No, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the Seventh Obelisk. I was at the prayer meeting. Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express... in space! Give us a mo." He covered the phone and whispered to Amy and Rory. "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."

"Yeah, I think it's goodbye. Do you think it's goodbye?" Amy asked her husband.

He nodded. "Definitely goodbye."

She smiled, opening the TARDIS door and leaning out, waving. "Goodbye! Goodbye!" She called out into the night, before shutting it and looking back at everyone else.

The Doctor smiled with satisfaction and turned back to the phone. "Don't worry about a thing, Your Majesty. We're on our way." He hung up and turned back to the others, a wild grin on his face as everyone grabbed onto the console. "Geronimo!" He shouted, slamming down the lever that sent them whirling into the time vortex.

xXx

Lyssa leaned against the console tiredly as Amy and Rory disappeared into the TARDIS hallway, still in their wedding clothes. "Well, that was a ride," she commented, blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face.

The Doctor made a face as he stabilized the TARDIS, letting them drift gently in the vortex. "Well, yes. We never actually got to the Orient Express, which was a shame. I keep meaning to go there, and never get the chance. But apparently somebody," he said with emphasis, staring at the console. "Thought we needed to go to the Orient Express on Earth instead."

"Well, we were kind of needed there, too," Lyssa pointed out. "Apparently trains attract trouble no matter where they're located."

He shrugged. "You could say the same about people. But," he reached across the console and flipped another switch, jumping backwards as sparks flew. "Problem's solved now, and the Ponds are off by themselves for the night. I'll try and keep things calm for them. No more adventures for the time being. What're your plans for the night?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know... Read? Watch a movie? I don't feel very sleepy."

He nodded in understanding. "Well, you've had a very busy day. And you did get stuck in a time loop for two thousand years. Which reminds me. I would like to check you over, make sure there're no lasting effects from today."

She pursed her lips, but gave in when she saw his pleading face. "Fine. But at least let me change out of my dress first," she added, looking down at her long dress.

He nodded. "Meet you in the Infirmary."

She sighed. "Again," she commented dryly, hurrying up the steps and down to her room.

Slipping inside, she reached behind her back and unlatched the dress, sighing in relief as it fell to the floor. It may have fit just fine, but there was something to be said for wearing sweatpants and a comfortable T-shirt, too. Hanging it up on a loose hanger in her closet, she pulled on some comfortable clothes and began the task of combing out her curls.

Perhaps as a result of what the TARDIS did, it was fairly easy to comb out, and left her hair a tad curlier than normal at the ends. Leaving it down, she threw on some flats, and, about to leave, spied her journal sitting on the table next to her bed. Pausing, she reached over and grabbed it, slipping it into her pocket before looking at the bed with a frown.

She had a feeling that she wouldn't be sleeping there tonight. More to the point - she didn't really want to sleep at all tonight. She remembered her restless sleep after their last big adventure, with the Tenth Doctor and Martha, and had no desire to go through a repeat tonight, particularly after the day's events.

Shaking her head to dismiss her thoughts, she hurried out of the room and tried to find the Infirmary. Whether because she had been there so often she knew the way instinctually, or because the TARDIS was making it easy for her, it was right down the hallway. The Doctor was waiting for her inside by the examination table, looking over some scans with a frown. He looked up when she came in, a smile appearing on his face.

"Ah, Lyssa. Hello! Would you mind hopping up here for a mo?'" he asked. "Shouldn't take too long, I just want to make sure that nothing's wrong after the time loop, and all that."

She frowned, hopping onto the table. "Why would something be wrong?" she asked. "You didn't seem that concerned about River, and she was stuck there with me, too."

He sighed, bringing one of the overhead machines closer and turning it on, stepping back as it revolved around her body. "River doesn't have the time vortex running through her body," he pointed out. "And... there are other factors at play, which I can't explain right now because you find out about them later."

She sighed. "No end to the spoilers, huh?"

He smirked, pushing the machine back to it's place once it was finished with its scan, and looking over the results. "You tell me," he started to say, before stopping, his eyes flashing over the report.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Lyssa asked, seeing his eyes widen.

He held up a finger, reading it through carefully before turning to look at her hesitantly. She felt her heart drop, uncertain what he was about to say. "I can't explain everything, but... as a result of you being in the time loop for so long, you won't be jumping any time soon."

She furrowed her brow. "Well, isn't that a good thing? That just means I won't be jumping right away... right?" she asked uncertainly.

He frowned. "Unfortunately, I can't explain it fully. But... Lyssa, you jump because you need to to survive. The time jumps help save your life," he said, emphasizing the word 'life.'

Her eyes widened. "What? Are - are you saying that I'm about to die because I won't be jumping right away?"

He hastily tried to reassure her. "No, no, no. There's quite a large time span that would be required before it would kill you, years, in fact, and other variables factor in as well. It's just, that... as a result of certain conditions, and these particular circumstances, if you stay for an extended period of time, you might start to feel sick. Nothing fatal, you just wouldn't feel very good."

She didn't feel very reassured. "Is that why I feel so tense now? Because I didn't jump while I was in the time loop?"

He started to shake his head, paused, then said, "Not exactly. You're feeling tense for the same reason I am - time was restarted, and because we're both sensitive to disruptions to the flow of time, it affects us both. It's just a side effect of rebooting the universe. It should wear off in a day or two. As for the other matter... the only reason why I'm concerned now is, because you were erased from time. I think you were rebooted along with the universe. That reset your system, and now it might take a while for it to get back to normal."

He started pacing the room. "Which is why you'll be fine if you stay here for a while. Considering the results, it would actually be beneficial for you not to jump right now." He sighed, running a hand through his hair again. "In time, you'll need to jump again, of course, but... let's just say that right now you're better off not jumping." Lyssa swallowed hard. She didn't know the full extent, obviously, but clearly there was more here than just good old-fashioned 'time jumping.' She had had no idea that it was to save her life.

"Is there anything I should do?" she asked nervously.

He shook his head, trying to smile reassuringly at her. "No. Your body will start to heal all on its own. Just try to eat healthy, get enough sleep, etc. You know, take care of yourself. You'll jump when your body's ready."

She nodded. "All right. I'm gonna head to the TV room, maybe watch something before I go to bed." _'If I go to bed at all'_ , she added mentally, now feeling even less like she wanted to sleep.

He nodded in understanding. "I'm going to look over the TARDIS real quick. She seems a bit fussy, and I want to make sure that everything's in working order. I might join you there, later."

"Kay, see you around," she called, hopping off the table and walking out of the room. Not entirely certain where the TV room was, she just picked a direction and began walking randomly, hoping that the TARDIS would help her.

She had no idea if she was helped or not, but she saw an open door a couple minutes later and headed towards it. Peeking her head in the door, her eyes widened as she saw what was evidently the TV room. A large screen was displayed on one wall, and comfortable couches and chairs lay on stairs leading down to it, allowing each level a clear view of the screen. A popcorn machine and fridge stood off to the back wall, and a smaller screen stood next to them offering lists of movie suggestions.

She shrugged and began to look through the options, seeing literally thousands of options to choose from. A list of Earth classics caught her eye, and she picked that one, hoping to find something familiar. She smiled when she saw one title and immediately picked it, jumping as the large screen on the wall turned on with a loud noise.

Picking a chair that looked nice about halfway down the stairs, she sat down and was almost swallowed by it. Managing to sit up straight, she popped the foot rest out and saw a soft, folded blanket lying next to the base of the chair. Smiling, she pulled it over herself and snuggled up in it as the opening credits to 'The Princess Bride' began to play.

The lights dimmed around her, she watched the movie, mentally quoting along with her favorite lines. When it finished, before the lights could go back on, she hesitantly asked if the TARDIS could play it again. The flicker of the beginning of the movie was her answer. She settled back in her seat, smiling gratefully up at the ceiling.

"Thanks," she whispered, pulling out her journal. She wanted to write, and the movie playing in the background provided a good distraction to keep her from getting too lost in her thoughts.

She flipped it open, stopping and looking over her last few entries, her cheeks flushing again as she read through the entry titled '42.' But it also made her think of what River and the Doctor had both said - both denied any attraction to each other, and River had made it clear that she wasn't married to him.

Turning to a blank page, she started writing out the events of the Pandorica, especially noting what River had said, and circling it, followed by the Doctor's explanation that things wouldn't necessarily play out the same from what she had known before - and, even more so, that things sometimes weren't supposed to follow what she knew.

She huffed a breath in frustration, trying to figure it out, before making a star by it so that she wouldn't forget about it before moving on, writing what had happened when the universe reset and the worrying discovery that she wouldn't be jumping any time soon - as well as why.

"Why the long face?" the voice made her jump and drop her pencil, looking up in surprise. The Doctor was sitting on the couch next to her, a bowl of popcorn in his lap and grease smudges on his face.

She shook her head. "Just some stuff I have to figure out. You know. Spoilers. The usual."

He shrugged. "Why worry about it now? Like Rory said, we did just save the universe. Why not take a break and enjoy it?"

She pursed her lips and thought about it for a minute before nodding reluctantly. "All right," she agreed, putting her journal and pencil on the floor next to her chair.

"The Princess Bride?" the Doctor asked, tilting his head to the side as he watched the movie.

She nodded. "It'd been a while since I'd seen it, so I decided to watch it again. Plus, I'd read that watching movies that you're familiar with can help calm you down, because you know how it ends, so... I watched it again," she admitted.

He smiled. "No reason not too. Centuries in the future, it's still considered a classic, even after everything else."

She nodded in satisfaction. "Good. It deserves to be," she added, stifling a yawn.

He chuckled, pressing something on the side of his chair that made the room completely dark aside from the movie screen. Lyssa leaned back in her chair, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders as she fought off another yawn. They watched the rest of the movie in silence, Lyssa's eyelids growing heavier. At last, she gave up the fight and closed her eyes, giving into the exhaustion she had been feeling for the last few hours and falling into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, she was surprised to wake up in her bed, but realized that the Doctor must have brought her there and flushed at the thought. He didn't have to do that, but it was nice to not wake up with a crick in her neck, so she wasn't going to complain.

The Doctor dropped the Ponds off for their honeymoon on a starliner, promising to be back in a week or two. He then proceeded to latch onto a distress signal, sending them shooting clear to the other side of the galaxy on what ended up being a trap set by scavengers in an effort to take the ships of those who stopped to help.

They managed to stop them, but not before a stray shot sent after them while they were running back to the TARDIS managed to miss them both, fly through the open door, and hit the console, sending sparks flying everywhere. They ended up crash landing on Earth, stumbling out through the doors to escape the billowing smoke.

Unfortunately, as soon as the doors were shut, the TARDIS shut down and immediately began to disappear. According to the Doctor, it had moved somewhere safe to fix itself, and would be hidden in an effort to protect itself from further harm until it was all fixed. Apparently, while he was fixing it the night before, he had accidentally activated the HADS, but due to the console itself being damaged, it was not responding as it should be.

So they spend the next week waiting on the east coast of America, in the middle of the 20th century, before finally getting a signal. The TARDIS had, ever so conveniently, relocated to the other side of the American coast. And, due to the Doctor misplacing his psychic paper before they left the TARDIS, they were unable to take a train.

They were, however, able to get hold of some camping supplies, and begin the long trek across America. It only took them three months, instead of the usual five or six, thanks to the kindness of passing drivers that would pick them up and give them rides for some distance down the road.

All in all, they were very grateful when they came across the TARDIS sitting peacefully in the middle of a cornfield in the state of Utah. The Doctor immediately shut off the HADS, promising to make sure that it was off the next time they went on a trip, before ensuring that the TARDIS was fully operational this time, agreeing to take a break before going on another adventure. Lyssa had thrown away her worn tennis shoes, vowing to never take up jogging as a habit, and had gratefully sank into a very large, very warm bubble bath.

They spent the next week relaxing, before Lyssa reluctantly got back into the swing of adventures, still disliking the running, but enjoying the trips with the Doctor. The trip across America had drawn her closer to him, and she now counted him as a close friend; but that didn't make it any less awkward when he found her crying in her bedroom one day when he stopped by to check on her.

xXx

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern, hurrying over to her.

She sniffed unhappily, her journal spread out before her. "Nothing," she muttered, swiping a hand over her nose.

"I hope you don't expect me to believe that that's true," he commented, sitting gently on the bed.

She looked away. "I'm fine, just tired. That's all." He paused, taking in her surroundings. Her journal lay open to a page covered with writing, and a picture of the two of them dancing at Amy and Rory's wedding lay on it, evidently produced for her by the TARDIS. On another loose sheet of paper was a rough drawing of a woman that he recognized, though not, it must be said, with a great deal of fondness.

"Are you... homesick?" he asked carefully.

She sniffed again, looking at him, then where he was looking. She flushed, flipping the drawing of her mother over. "Not really. At least, I don't really miss her, if that's what you're asking. It's stupid," she muttered, looking away again.

"Then what's got you so upset?" he asked gently.

She scrubbed at her eyes. "I was just flipping through my journal, and I saw that," she said, indicating the photo of them dancing and smiling at each other. "And it just sort of... hit me all at once, I suppose. Just that... even then, I trusted you more than my own mother, and I'd barely known you for all of two weeks."

She shook her head. "I mean, you're one of my best friends now, so of course I trust you. But I've still only known you for six or seven months. And I trust you more than I ever trusted her. My own mother! And even back home, the friends I'd known for years, I still..." she stopped, grimacing. "Like I said. It's stupid," she muttered.

He watched her carefully. "Do you... regret trusting me, Lyssa?" he asked gently, keeping his face neutral.

She snapped her head around to look at him. "Absolutely not! I trust you with my life. It's just... Your mom is supposed to be one of the people you trust most. And I trusted you more than I ever trusted her in less than two weeks! And I just... You've more than earned my trust, while she's done nothing to earn it. And yet, it just feels wrong, somehow, to trust someone I've only known for a few months over my own mother." She sighed. "And yet somehow, I think I trusted you long before I consciously decided to."

He smiled at her gently. "Sometimes the heart decides before the brain can. Thank you, Lyssa. I don't take your trust lightly, I promise."

She nodded, swiping at her nose again. "I know you don't. I don't even really know why I'm crying. I just, I saw that picture, and wanted to draw a picture of my mom, so that I wouldn't forget her, but once I saw her, I didn't want to see her anymore, and I just started crying." She sighed. "Ugh. I'm such a mess. Sorry for taking it all out on you."

He shook his head. "No. That's what friends are for. To take care of each other when we're down. So, on that note, how about I show you something cool? Maybe it'll help cheer you up."

She looked up at him hesitantly. "Like what?"

He smiled, standing up and offering a hand to her. "Like the Markets of Aznakan. It was formed by two groups that used to be at war with each other. The reason why was lost to time, but they eventually realized that their fighting was pointless, brought to their senses by a good fairy, or so the legends say, and became friends; forming a peaceful union that was strong enough to last centuries, producing some of the most valuable artwork and jewelry in several galaxies.

"I have something I've been meaning to get something from there anyways, and it'd be a good chance to show you the place. The natural waterfalls are considered some of the most beautiful natural phenomena for light years."

She shrugged, taking his hand and letting him pull her up. "All right. Let's see this amazing place of yours."

He grinned, helping her up. They were halfway down the hallway when she stopped, a sharp pain suddenly coursing through her, robbing her of breath. He turned to look at her, his eyes wide. "Lyssa? Are you all right?" She tried to speak, but ended up giving a strangled cry as the pain worked its way through her body, collapsing to the ground. He knelt beside her. "What's wro- oh." His shoulders sagged. Blinking through the tears, Lyssa managed to make out the gold mist engulfing her hand and swarming up her wrist.

"It's never hurt this much before," she managed to choke out.

He nodded. "I know. But you haven't jumped for over three months. And depending on where you're jumping too..." He paused. "You'll find out why, soon. I promise. Just hold on, Lyssa. Wherever you end up, I'll be there soon, no matter what it takes. I promise."

She nodded, unable to concentrate on his words as the pain intensified before everything went black, immediately fading into a cold, metal floor. Her mind cleared just in time for her to come to the realization that she had no idea where she was.

* * *

 **A/N: Dang it. This chapter needed so much editing... *sigh* I even had to cut out something I'd been planning for months, and save it for a later date. All well... it'll happen in its own time, I guess. (Edit: It did)**

 **Huge thank you to everyone who's favorited and followed (62 favorites and 90 follows?! You guys are amazing!) and shout-out to E-man-dy-S and guest for reviewing! I'm really glad that you guys liked my story so far. We should be seeing the Twelfth Doctor next chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but Lyssa's all mine!**


	15. Chapter 15 - Flatline, Part 1

_Italics are voices spoken over an intercom_

Lyssa placed an arm over her stomach, trying not to throw up as her stomach throbbed in time with her head. Closing her eyes against the pain, she heard someone approaching, but couldn't be bothered to open her eyes again, too busy with trying not to throw up or pass out.

"Lyssa? You're here?" a new voice said in surprise. She mumbled something, but didn't look up. "What're you doing down here? Or -" There was a pause. "Oh. Doctor?" they called loudly. "Lyssa's here, and I think something's wrong. She's not responding."

There was a sound of several pairs of clattering footsteps before a Scottish voice spoke close to her ear. "Lyssa? What's wrong?"

She managed to open her eyes and made out the blurry image of what she assumed was the Doctor's Twelfth form, two more vague images behind him. "Doctor?" she asked weakly. "Am I in the TARDIS, then?"

"I'm here," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed hard. "It hurts. And I feel so sick. Why does it hurt so much?" she asked, panting, feeling sweat break out along her forehead.

He frowned, running his eyes along her body, stopping when he saw her neck. "You're too early for it to be them, but your eyes..." he muttered, before inspiration seemed to strike. "Lyssa, where were you last, and how long had it been since you jumped?"

She tried to think past the throbbing in her head. "I don't... um... Eleven. After the Pandorica. We were there for a couple months. You said... after what happened, I might not be jumping for a while."

He sat back and sighed in relief, closing his eyes briefly. "Never mind, then. I know what this is. Just take deep breaths, Lyssa. You should be feeling better soon." Right now she would have settled for able to sit up straight, but she just closed her eyes and concentrated on following the Doctor's orders.

After several agonizing minutes, the nausea was gone, and while she was still dizzy, she no longer had a piercing headache when she tried to sit up straight. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, grateful when no new form of unpleasantness seemed to happen. She looked over at the Doctor, and blinked when he was still a blur. His form clarified somewhat, but was still moving about more than she thought he actually was, and the people behind him were still blurry.

"Do you feel better now?" the Doctor asked, watching her closely.

She started to nod, then thought better of it and just spoke instead. "Yeah. I still feel dizzy, and I can't quite make you out, but the pain's mostly gone. How come it hurt so much anyways? I've never been sick after I landed before, and it's never hurt this much either, except maybe when you reset the universe with the Pandorica."

He didn't answer, instead getting to his feet with a groan and extending a hand to help her up. She got to her feet shakily, letting go of his hand and planning on holding onto the wall to help her stay standing; but miscalculated where it was due to the shifting images before her, and ended up stumbling into the person behind the Doctor.

"Must we always meet this way?" he said jokingly. "You keep stumbling into my arms." She blinked up at him in confusion. From what she could make out, he was a tall man, with dark hair that curled around the brown top hat he wore, and a brown leather jacket over a maroon paisley shirt with a matching tie.

"Who are you?" she asked bluntly, before stopping. "Wait. That was rude. But who are you?" she asked again, frowning. He was still somewhat blurry, and the swirling design of his shirt was rather distracting. But she couldn't help but feel that he looked somewhat familiar.

"You don't know who I am?" he said, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"Look at her," a female voice whispered. "She's still really new. She probably doesn't even know who I am." She stepped forward. "Have you met me yet? I'm Clara Oswald."

Lyssa turned to look at her, carefully stepping away from the taller man, noticing his sigh as she did so. The shorter woman had dark hair that fell gently to her shoulders, and was wearing a red flannel shirt underneath a green jacket, and had a bracelet covered in different colored jewels on her wrist. She smiled, putting out a hand in what she thought was the right direction. "No, I haven't met you yet, but it's nice to meet you. Sorry if I'm making a face, I can't quite make you out clearly."

"It's all right," Clara assured her, shaking her hand. "I understand. And since you clearly haven't met him, I'll introduce him for you," she added, nudging the man standing next to her. "This here's the Ranger to most people, although I call him Hatter sometimes, on account of that hat he wears. We picked him up on some planet, and decided to keep him for now. Jury's still out on whether or not he'll stick around."

Ranger sighed. "That's not what really happened, Clara, and you know it. Plus, my hat is amazing." His voice was that of someone who had to deal with it every day. He looked over at Lyssa with a look of long-suffering. "Just because I got stuck on that planet _one_ time, and had to call for help..."

Lyssa chuckled, relaxing somewhat as the Doctor and Clara apparently trusted him enough to let him on board. "So... the Ranger, huh? Is your name like the Doctor's?" she asked curiously.

He frowned. "Well, I had to keep my real name a secret somehow, because I travel a lot on various missions, and it was better than 'The Hobo,' so I went with that. But the Doctor usually call me Jamie. But he's one of the only people who can," he added hastily.

"Why?" Lyssa asked.

"Because I have blackmail material on him. Anyone else, because of spoilers. Well, and some of them have blackmail material on him too in the future. But, mostly spoilers," the Doctor said, speaking up for the first time in a while, mischief in his voice. "But he's completely trustworthy, you can be assured of that."

Lyssa nodded, swaying again slightly as her dizziness increased momentarily. "Um, I don't mean to be rude, since this is technically my first time meeting you all, but is there somewhere I can sit down? I still feel kind of shaky."

"Of course. Sorry," the Doctor said, taking her gently by the arm and leading her down the hallway. "I was actually just about to drop Clara and Jamie off when you showed up. Here. You can sit here," he said, bringing her into the console room and dropping her on a seat by the door. "You might want to buckle-up."

Lyssa looked down at the buckle in her lap and sighed. After a few missed attempts, she managed to buckle-up right as they set off, the others clinging to the console. Apparently the Doctor's newest regeneration's driving skills had not improved with age.

He landed them with a flourish. "Here we are! Same time you left, same place. Ish."

Clara stopped halfway to the door. "Ish? Don't give me an ish!"

The Doctor looked over the readings with a frown. "These readings are very ishy..."

The Ranger... or Jamie, apparently, joined him. "He's right. They're a bit... off."

By the time Lyssa managed to get her buckle undone, Clara had opened the door. "Er, Doctor?" She asked uncertainly.

Lyssa frowned, seeing a flash of gold in the corner of her eye. When she turned, though, there was nothing there.

"What?" he returned.

"I think you should see this," she answered.

Lyssa made her way over to the door, still somewhat shaky, but able to make out what the others were seeing. The doorway was suddenly smaller than it used to be, causing the Doctor and the Ranger to have to crouch a bit. "Well. Well, I wonder what caused this? I don't think we're bigger, are we?" he asked.

Clara frowned, seeing a sign in the distance. "Bristol? Doctor, we're in Bristol!"

"And a hundred and twenty miles from where we should be. Impressive," Jamie said.

"No, this is annoying!" Clara argued.

"No, it's impressive," he returned. "Something like this? That's impressive."

"This is annoying. The TARDIS never does this. This is huge! Well, not literally huge. Slightly smaller than usual. Which is huge," the Doctor rambled.

"Yes. I get it. You're excited. When can Hatter and I leave?" Clara asked impatiently.

"Your house isn't going anywhere. And neither is mine until I get this figured out. Could you not just let me enjoy this moment of not knowing something? I mean, it happens so rarely. Look, I don't think this is dangerous, but I wouldn't like you to get squished accidentally. Anyway, I need you to help me find out what's caused this," the Doctor explained. "Lyssa can't walk or see straight, so she'll have to stay here for the time being."

Clara sighed. "Fine. I'll go take a look around."

"I'll go with you," the Ranger volunteered. "You might need me to keep you safe," he teased, flexing his arm muscles jokingly.

She nodded in amusement. "Right. Or to make me look better," she pointed out, leaving the TARDIS with him close behind her, shutting the door behind them.

Lyssa slowly made her way over to the console and held onto it. "So... what's actually going on with me?" she asked. "You clearly know."

The Doctor sighed, flipping levers and inputting data. "Do you remember what I told you last time? That you wouldn't be jumping for a while because of the whole deal with the," he waved his hands in the air. "Universe resetting and all that?" She nodded, looking to the side of him curiously when she saw a golden form flitting past him, twirling before disappearing in a shower of gold sparkles.

"The reason you jump is to save your life, like I told you then. What I didn't tell you, was that your body has the Time Vortex continually running through it, filling up with that energy."

She frowned. "But... I already knew that the Time Vortex ran through me. That's what makes me jump... right?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. "Not necessarily. The energy of the Time Vortex was never meant to be contained in a physical form. That's why Bad Wolf was such a dangerous event, one that never should have happened, and killed me when I tried to take it in. Now, when you were struck by the time storm, it changed your body enough that you were able to carry it without burning up immediately. Like a reservoir, of sorts. But it's still deadly, even for you. So, in order to keep you alive, you jump across time, using up the energy that's been building up inside of you. So when you don't jump for an extended period of time..."

"The energy builds up to fatal levels," she finished, a pit of dread forming in her stomach. "That's why I feel so sick? Because I didn't jump for several months?" Her eyes widened, seeing a golden man step out of the hallway behind the Doctor, carrying a limp form in his arms, his head down. Grief was evident in his expression, before they, too, disappeared in a shower of gold.

He sighed, drawing his attention back to her. "Not just that. It's been almost a thousand years for me since the Pandorica. Which means you had to use up enough energy to cross that time span. But it's even more than that. You _had_ to use up all the energy that had been accumulated while you were with 'Chinny,'" he mocked his old self, gesturing to his chin. "And to do that, you jumped over a thousand years. But that still wasn't enough. That's why you can't see us normally - your vision is split, between the present, and events both future and past."

She stared at him, mouth open in shock. "H-how did you know I-I was seeing... whatever they are?" she demanded. "And how do you know what they are?"

One of the thick gray lines on his face lifted so she could only assume he raised his eyebrow at her, but she could hear the sarcasm in his brogue when he spoke. "I have known you for centuries, you know. I've had plenty of time to figure you out. Well, mostly. But I can always tell when you're seeing things that aren't happening in this timeline. You know why?"

Her mouth was dry. "Why?" Almost involuntarily, her gaze flickered over to a gold man and a woman, standing off to the side. The man wore an expression of shock and disbelief. The woman's was torn, before something rippled through her, and she exploded in a burst of gold. Lyssa drew in a breath, but the vision wasn't gone. The man seemed to cry out, falling to his knees before disappearing as well. When she turned back to the Doctor, she flinched, as he was standing much closer than he had been a minute ago.

"Because of your eyes," he told her softly.

She frowned. "What's wrong with my eyes? Aside from the fact that I'm apparently seeing two different time streams at once."

He shook his head. "Not two different time streams. Lyssa... you're seeing all of time at once right now. You can't jump right now. It's too soon. So your body's releasing the extra energy in the form of visions of the future and past only you can see. And I know that you're seeing it, because your eyes are golden right now."

She gasped and staggered backwards. "What?" she cried, bringing her hands to her face as if she could feel the gold supposedly there.

"Lyssa," he said calmly, taking her hands gently and bringing them away from her face. "It's all right. That's normal, and once the energy is gone, they'll go back to their regular brown. It's not permanent, and it's not doing any harm. It's actually a good sign."

"But.." she started, trailing off weakly, unsure what she was even going to say.

"You'll be fine, I promise," he assured her, cupping her face with one of his hands. She couldn't help but stare at him, even though she couldn't really make out his face that clearly. He was acting more like his previous regeneration, who was far more inclined to hug everyone, than he had been in the show; at least before Season 9, when he began to show how much he cared more plainly. "It will go away once the extra energy has been all used up, although it might not stop until you jump again."

"Will it... hurt as bad as it did before?" she asked nervously. "Jumping far?"

He shrugged. "It shouldn't. You've burned off the worst of it by jumping here, and now that you've experienced jumping across a greater span of time, your body has begun to grow used to it. It will still be unpleasant, but there won't be as much energy to wear off." An alarm suddenly started blaring, making them both jump. "That wasn't me, was it?" the Doctor asked, before looking around. "Ah. Well, that can't be good," he muttered, staring at a screen.

There was a beeping before Clara's voice suddenly filled the TARDIS. " _Hey, I think I've found something. People are missing all over the estate. Do you think there's a connection_?"

"Could be," the Doctor said, frowning at the screen. Lyssa moved over next to him, but was unable to make out anything clearly on the screen.

" _And where are you_?" Clara asked.

"Exactly where I was."

" _You're not. I'm here and I can't see - oh_."

"Yes, oh," the Doctor repeated.

Clara suddenly started laughing. " _Oh, my gosh. That is so adorable. Are you both in there_?"

"Yes, we are. And no, it's not adorable. This is very, very serious," the Doctor said grumpily.

" _So is this more shrink ray stuff? Are you tiny in there_?" Clara asked, before speaking in a quieter voice, presumably to the Ranger.

"No. We're exactly the same size. It's merely the exterior dimensions that have changed," he explained, opening the door, which was by now much smaller, and peering out, only his face able to be seen. "Stop laughing, this is serious," he complained.

" _Yeah, well, I can't help it, can I, with you and your big old face. How are you going to get out_?" Clara asked, stopping her laughter with difficulty. The Ranger seemed to have no such inhibitions, and his rolling laughter could plainly be heard, bringing a smile to Lyssa's face.

"Well, obviously I can't. Something nearby is leeching all the external dimensions," the Doctor explained, stepping back, allowing Lyssa to make out the blurry faces of the Ranger and Clara looking on.

The Doctor's statement seemed to hit a chord with the Ranger, as he was no longer smiling, but looking rather concerned. " _Are you both all right in there? Is it hurting you_?"

Lyssa shook her head. "We haven't felt anything," she called over the Doctor's shoulder. "So far, we're doing fine."

" _So... is it aliens_?" Clara asked after a minute.

"Possibly. Oh, who am I kidding? Probably. Sensors are down and I can't risk taking off with it in this state. Clara, I need you to pick up the TARDIS. Carefully. It should be possible. I've adjusted the relative gravity. I'd have Jamie do it, but he wouldn't be able to carry us safely, and scan the surroundings, and deal with the multi-phasic egerblists as well," the Doctor explained quickly.

Lyssa blinked. "Wait. What? Multi-phasic what now?"

" _Are you saying you made it lighter_?" Clara asked, apparently not hearing Lyssa's question.

"Clara, it's always lighter. If the TARDIS were to land with its true weight, it would fracture the surface of the Earth. That's why Jamie's dealing with the multi-phasic-"

" _Egerblists, yeah, I heard. Maybe a story for another time. What now_?" Clara asked, interrupting him.

"I've managed to get a rough fix on the source of the dimensional leeching. It's northwest. That way," he gestured, sticking his hand out of the TARDIS door and pointing.

" _Please don't do that. That's just wrong_ ," Clara complained.

" _Yeah, that is just a little bit... creepy_ ," the Ranger agreed. " _Disembodied hand_."

Lyssa frowned. This all seemed incredibly familiar to her, but she couldn't think from where. Then her attention was caught by another vision. Standing behind the console, was a little girl, playing happily with something that hadn't appeared with her. Then, long fingers reached out and grabbed her, and her expression changed to one of terror as she was pulled back into the darkness, her silent screams fading with her. Unable to help herself, Lyssa stretched out a hand to the space the girl used to occupy.

"Lyssa?" The Doctor's concerned voice snapped her out of it. She turned back to look at him. "Are you all right?" he asked quietly. "Is it the visions? Are they getting worse?"

She frowned. "I don't..." Her eyes flickered off to the side, following a trail of gold sparkles. As much as she wanted to stay focused on the present, and figure out what was going on, when the gold appeared, it was almost as if everything else faded from her focus, leaving only the gold for her to concentrate on. So even when the visions seemed unhappy, like the one now, where there was only an empty cradle and a hunched figure silently rocking it, she couldn't help but follow it until it faded.

A hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present once again. The Doctor's face was much closer, now looking very worried. "- doing that. Lyssa, can you hear me? You need to stay with me, all right? It's important. Lyssa, do you understand what I'm saying?" It was clear that he'd been talking to her for a while now.

She blinked, finding the Doctor's face to be a bit more clear now. "I can hear you. What happened? How come that keeps happening?"

He frowned. "It does seem to be more extreme this time. Perhaps because of the Pandorica. Or whatever is happening to the TARDIS. Just... keep holding on, okay? The way the TARDIS is acting, I don't think any tests I could run would be accurate right now. And I need to stay up here. But there seems to be something else going on, and until I know what, please stay by me. The more you stay in the present, the better."

She nodded, feeling worried. "Okay. Although... it seems to go away when you touched me. Is it the same reason our hands get warm? Because we both have time in some form in our bodies?"

He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "Maybe. Hard to say. For the meantime, please just stay close, all right?" He walked over to the screen and looked it over, examining the results Clara's glasses were showing. Lyssa paused. She didn't remember the Doctor giving them to her, so... how did she know Clara had them? She shook her head, returning to the present. The Doctor was frowning. "That's... not good." Lyssa looked around, hearing Clara talking to someone over the intercom.

" _This is my partner, the Ranger, and I'm the Doctor_ ," she said, amusement plain in her voice. The Ranger immediately burst into laughter, while the Doctor instantly stood up straighter, a scowl evident in his voice.

"Don't you dare," he warned.

" _Doctor Oswald. But you can call me Clara_ ," she continued, ignoring the Doctor's protests completely.

" _I'm Rigsy. So, er... What are you a doctor of, exactly_?" A man's voice asked.

"Of lies," the Doctor growled, stalking around the console. Unable to help herself, Lyssa lifted a hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter. He leaned over to presumably glare at her, but she just shrugged in response, her laughter bubbling out over her hand.

" _Well, I'm usually quite vague about that. I think I just picked the title because it made me sound important_."

" _I've been with the Doctor most of my life, and I can confirm that that is absolutely true,_ " the Ranger confirmed, audibly struggling to control his laughter

"Why, Doctor Oswald, you and your sidekick are hilarious," the Doctor grumbled. "Could we get back to work, do you think?"

" _What are you exactly? You don't smell like police but that's some pretty cool gear you got there. Are you like a spy, or something_?" Rigsy asked.

"Oh, he's a bright one. Hang on to him," the Doctor complimented.

Lyssa snorted. "At least you're nicer to him then you were to Mickey when you met him."

"Ricky was an idiot when we met," the Doctor returned. "He deserved exactly what he got."

" _He was the last one to go missing. And when he disappeared all the doors and windows were locked from the inside_ ," Rigsy explained, evidently showing something to Clara. The Doctor was staring at the monitor, now, eyes scanning the screen intently.

"Ooh, now you're talking. I love a good locked room mystery," he said happily.

" _Yeah, doesn't everyone_?" Clara muttered.

"Ehh, he does more than most," the Ranger pointed out. "Remember Calcutta?"

There was some muted talking before Clara spoke up again. " _Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm talking to somebody else. He's listening in. Doctor, Rigsy, Rigsy, the Doctor. And Lyssa's in there too, but I don't think she'll be interacting much with this one_."

"Hello, barely sentient local," the Doctor called loudly.

Lyssa rolled her eyes. "Annnd we're back to the regular old insults. Good to hear." She saw something flicker in the corner of her eye, but forced herself to ignore it, walking closer to the Doctor and brushing shoulders with him. The flickering still happened intermittently, but her shoulders relaxed slightly, and she felt some of her tension ease off. He looked at her in concern, but she shook her head. "I'm doin' all right," she assured him.

He frowned, but nodded, going into a series of comments between him, Clara, and the Ranger, debating Rigsy's usefulness and general intelligence, before Rigsy pointed out that the missing man could still be in the room, drawing the Doctor up short before he declared that Rigsy was very useful, and shame on Clara for doubting him. This sparked a whole new conversation. Eventually he just growled something before stalking over to the doors and throwing them open, revealing to Rigsy that there was, in fact, someone inside of it.

" _Rigsy, come here. Meet the Doctor and Lyssa, our... special operatives... agents_ ," Clara trailed off before turning to the Doctor, ignoring the man gaping beside her. " _So, what do you think? Tiny man idea_?"

"Yes, it's a lovely thought," the Doctor agreed condescendingly. "Which is why I'm sure Jamie set the sonic to scan for that as soon as we entered. Pleased to meet you," he called out to Rigsy. "Lyssa would say hello too, but she's not feeling the best right now."

" _And you didn't tell me_?" Clara hissed at the tall man beside her.

He shrugged, trying to pull off an innocent grin. " _Umm... no_?"

"Well, he might have been squashed underneath a policeman's shoe by now," the Doctor pointed out, enjoying the shock on Rigsy's face if the smug aura practically radiating from him was anything to go by.

" _It's bigger. On the inside_ ," Rigsy said, still staring.

"Do you know, I don't think that's statement ever been truer," the Doctor mused.

" _What are you? Aliens, or something_?" Rigsy demanded.

" _Well, he is. And the thing we're looking for most likely is_ ," Clara said, avoiding the question.

Lyssa suddenly froze as the world around her flashed golden for a second, before slowly fading away as an alarm blared behind her. She blinked dazedly as the world seeming to swim back into focus as a golden ballerina twirled in front of her, holding a hand out to her. She frowned, feeling like she should stay away for some reason... but the figure beckoned again, drawing closer, and her willpower disappeared. Stretching out her hand, she placed her hand in the offered one, and was surprised to find it cold, but solid.

The figure smiled at her, leading her up the stairs and towards the hallway. Lyssa was halfway up the stairs when a hand fell on her shoulder, stopping her. She gasped and stood up straight as the figure immediately disappeared, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had just been thrown on her.

"Lyssa," the Doctor said, turning her around gently and watching her carefully. "Don't follow the light."

She laughed, sounding a little bit more hysterical than she would have liked. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. I think that whatever is draining the TARDIS is affecting you too. Or, maybe the TARDIS just isn't able to protect you as well as she normally would be able to. Either way, this is not good. These aliens... I think they're from another dimension. Some place where there is no three-dimensional life, and they're trying to learn how to live in ours. They've already tried to kill Jamie, Clara, and the others. It seems to be able to travel through the walls and absorb us, or whatever else it likes."

She gasped, memories suddenly flooding her brain, breaking through the dull haze that had been hanging around. "Oh. I remember," she breathed, eyes wide.

"Remember? Remember what?" the Doctor asked, before stopping. "No, wait. The mural!" He darted over to the scanner, keeping his hand on Lyssa and dragging her with him. "Clara, Jamie, the mural! Clara, it's the mural! Over there, look, the mural! We've found the missing people, they're in the walls!"

" _What do I do_?" Clara asked nervously, spinning around and looking at the murals.

"Act normal, but get everyone out," the Doctor instructed. "And Jamie, keep an eye out for the -"

" _Fluctuations on the sphere, I know_ ," Jamie interrupted, sounding worried.

" _They're very realistic. Who painted them_?" Clara asked.

" _I don't know. A local artist. Probably a grieving relative_ ," Rigsy said, sounding confused.

" _Did you ever meet them? Or did they just appear after people disappeared_?" Clara asked, her voice serious.

" _And who are you when you're at home, love_?" an old man asked. Lyssa wrinkled her nose at the voice. She couldn't quite remember who he was yet, but she didn't like the sound of his voice, that much she knew.

" _Health and safety. This subway is unsafe. Everyone needs to leave right now_ ," Clara ordered firmly, pulling out the psychic paper.

" _This is blank. Try again, sweetheart_ ," the old man said, his voice condescending.

" _What_?" Clara demanded, flipping it over to look at it.

"What? It takes _quite_ a lack of imagination to beat psychic paper _,_ " the Doctor implied, raising his eyebrows.

Lyssa groaned suddenly. "Oh. Now I remember who he is. The grouchy old guy who does nothing but cause problems."

"So... you know what's going on, then?" the Doctor asked.

"Well... a little. I know that I already don't like him. And I think that someone's supposed to-" A terrified scream cut her off.

" _Stan_!" Rigsy shouted in shock. Lyssa could see the view on the monitor changing, flashing as Clara moved around.

" _What is this? What are they_?" Another man's voice demanded.

"They're wearing the dead like camouflage," the Doctor realized.

" _Forget Stan. Your friend's gone_ ," Clara ordered, her voice firm.

"Jamie, Clara, get them out of there!" the Doctor commanded.

" _We need to move. Now_."

Lyssa bent over and grabbed the railing as the TARDIS began to shake slightly as everyone began to run away from the aliens behind them. "I thought it would be more stable than this," she called to the Doctor, who had one hand on her and the other on the monitor.

"We're being carried by a running organism who's not wearing any stabilizers. The TARDIS is able to reduce most of the effects of the shaking, but we'll still feel some. Her shields have been affected by the power loss," the Doctor explained as they came to a halt suddenly, the group outside the TARDIS having taken refuge in what looked like a train shed.

" _Did they follow us? Cos I didn't see them follow us. Are we safe_?" A new voice asked, sounding panicked.

" _Are we really hiding from killer graffiti? This is insane_ ," another man complained.

"I agree. We'll have to think of a better name for them than that." The Doctor paused. "Clara, this is a vital stage. This little group is currently confused and disorientated. But pretty soon a leader is going to emerge. You need to make sure that leader is either you or Jamie."

" _I'm on it_ ," Clara agreed. " _George. George, isn't it? Can you watch that area? If you hear anything, anything moves, you shout, okay_?

" _He will do no such thing until I get some answers. Who are you? That's what I want to know. Impersonating a government official. Trespassing on council property_!" the old man from before interrupted.

Lyssa groaned. She now remembered him completely, and was wishing she hadn't. On the bright side, at least her vision was clearing up, so she could make out the thoroughly exasperated expression on Clara's face.

" _Seriously, Mr. Fenton_?" Clara deadpanned, clearly exasperated.

" _Seriously,_ " Fenton retorted.

" _Fine, I'll tell you who I am. I am the one chance you've got of staying alive. That's who I am_."

"Well done!" the Doctor complimented her.

But Fenton wasn't done. " _But why you? Why not the Ranger fellow_?" he demanded, gesturing to the taller man, who Lyssa could see instantly straighten and scowl. " _He's older, and he looks a heap more capable than someone like you_ ," he added, sneering the last word.

Lyssa jerked upright, ready to throw open the door and yell at the man, however little good it might do considering her current size, but the Doctor held her back. "He's not worth it, Lyssa. And besides. I think Jamie has it under control," he added with a smile in his voice.

And he did. Without making a single threatening gesture, the very scowl he sent at Fenton made him step back a pace, although he made an effort to keep his face set in its stubborn look. " _Doctor Oswald is in charge of this operation because this is what she's good at. When we come across situations where I'd be better suited to lead, then I take charge. We're a team, so we work together. Right now, she has the best chance of saving us, so I'm going to listen to her. And if you have a problem with that, then you can go take your chances with those creatures on your own. Are we clear_?" He maintained his steady glare until Fenton nodded, then instantly relaxed. " _Right. Good. Back to you, Clara_."

Lyssa couldn't help but smile at the proud, grateful look on Clara's face. " _Rigsy, how well do you know this area? Do you know where that door leads_?" she asked, getting back to business without further comment.

" _It's the old Brunswick line. But it's not safe_ ," Rigsy answered, sounding a bit too pleased about Fenton being put in his place.

" _Well, there's safe and there's_ safe," one of the men from before said, emphasizing the last word.

"Yeah, I know it. I used to go down there all the time," Rigsy explained.

" _Yeah, I'll bet you did. Painting your filth_ ," Fenton spat, clearly not in a good mood.

" _Yeah, well, you might be glad he did_ ," Clara informed him, not even dignifying him with a glare. " _Those things come in here, that is our only way out_." She paused and then said quietly so only the Ranger, the Doctor, and Lyssa could hear, " _I just hope I can keep them all alive_."

* * *

 **A/N: *clears throat* ahem. First, I just saw the Thor: Ragnarok movie today. No spoilers ;) but it. Was. Amazing! *dies of excitement***

 **Second, I have the most amazing readers in the world. Seriously. You guys have made me so happy this week. Huge thank you to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to E-man-dy-S, yellowroseofthenw, Guest (1), MystLikesTrouble, Guest (2), and HalfPastEleven for reviewing.**

 _ **E-man-dy-S: Thank you! And I really hope you like this. I'm a bit nervous about it, to be honest. it's my first time with Twelve, so... yeah.**_

 _ **yellowroseofthenw: Your review made me cry happy tears. You have no idea how happy that makes me feel, to know that you really enjoy my story. And I hope you like Twelve. (I love his accent, tbh). :) Thank you for reviewing! :)**_

 _ **Guest (1): *Author reads review* *Pause* *Author holds up finger, considers review, then slams head into desk* All right, that's it. Everybody can go home. The author just gave herself an aneurysm over missing what could have been one of the greatest puns/word plays/whatever ever. Honestly, that's a great point. And I'm kind of mad at myself for missing the irony, lol. That was a great point. *facepalms at self***_

 _ **MystLikesTrouble: Yeah, the Doctor's not exactly the epitome of subtle, is he? ;) Welcome to my story, and I'm thrilled you like it! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

 _ **Guest (2): Aww, I'm glad to hear that! And yes... we'll actually be seeing Ten quite a bit for the next few chapters. And Nine is coming very, very soon... ;)**_

 _ **HalfPastEleven: It's one of the best movies ever, in my opinion. The pastor started that wedding scene at my sibling's wedding, and I thought it was the best thing ever. And I hope you like Twelve!**_

 **Also, wow. Everyone so's excited to meet Twelve, and this is my first time writing him, so... hopefully he's not too out of character D:**

 **And I picture the Ranger looking like Andrew Lee-Potts when he played Hatter in the 2009 movie 'Alice.' (Complete with hat). And fyi, just because he has a similar name to the Doctor's doesn't mean he's a time lord - I just needed a good name to hide his own for special purposes that may or may not be revealed later on. Because the Ranger has secrets of his own. ;)**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, but Lyssa is all mine!**


	16. Chapter 16 - Flatline, Part 2

**Just to remind everyone, Lyssa and the Doctor are in a shrinking TARDIS. Everyone else is outside, and currently hiding in a train shed.** _ **Italics are voices spoken over an intercom into the TARDIS.**_

"Ah, welcome to my world, Doctor Clara," the Doctor smirked. "So, what's next?"

Clara took a deep breath. " _Lie to them_."

"What?"

" _Lie to them. Give them hope. Tell them they're all going to be fine. Isn't that what you would do_?"

"In a manner of speaking. It's true that people with hope tend to run faster, whereas people who think they're doomed..." the Doctor trailed off, exchanging glances with Lyssa.

" _Dawdle. End up dead_ ," Clara finished bluntly.

"So that's what I sound like," the Doctor commented. Lyssa shrugged. In a sense, it was true. Sometimes you had to face the horrible truth to survive, and that meant no sugar-coating it. "Right, here's something that might help you. Do you remember the graffiti from the estate? Footprints, tire treads?"

" _Vaguely_ ," Clara muttered, talking to the Ranger in hushed tones before he nodded and moved off.

"Well, I don't think it was graffiti. I think that that was how those creatures saw us. The impressions we make in two dimensional space. That was them reaching out, attempting to talk. At which point they moved into flattening and dissection. Trying to understand. Trying to emulate. But here's the big question. Do they know they're hurting us?" the Doctor postulated.

Lyssa started chewing her lip nervously. If she could remember this episode clearly, and she thought she did, then the straight answer was yes. But her head was still a bit muddled, and she couldn't quite remember what she should tell, and what she could keep quiet. But her head was clearing up, and her memories were coming back, so hopefully she'd have it all figured out before anyone else died.

"We need to find a way to communicate," the Doctor said, looking like he wanted to stalk around the console, but keeping his hand gently on Lyssa's arm.

" _Why can't the TARDIS just translate_?" Clara asked unhappily.

"Because their idea of language is just as bizarre as their idea of space. Even the TARDIS is confused. And if the way Lyssa's feeling is any indication, the TARDIS is being affected as well. So we could well end up insulting them if we used the TARDIS due to something being inaccurately translated. And then they might really want to kill us."

" _Not like it would be the first time_ ," Clara muttered. Lyssa bit back a snicker, but the Doctor still looked at her like she had betrayed him.

" _This is a bad idea. What makes this colleague of yours think those monsters even want to talk_?" Fenton complained.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. A real pudding brain we've picked up here. I know a race made of sentient gas who throw fireballs as a friendly wave. I know another race with sixty four stomachs who talk to each other by disemboweling."

" _He's ah, got a hunch_ ," Clara told the others.

"My point being that in a universe as immense and bizarre as this one, you cannot be too quick to judge. Perhaps these creatures don't even understand that we need three dimensions to live in. They may not even know that they're hurting us," the Doctor explained.

" _Do you really believe that_?" Clara asked him bluntly.

"No. I really hope that. It would make a nice change, wouldn't it? Okay. Let's start with pi. Even in a flat world they would have circles. I don't mean edible pie, I mean circular pi. Which I realize would also mean edible pie but anyway." He spun around the console, pulling Lyssa with him as he inputted information and started sending out the signal. He looked down when he caught Lyssa smirking at him. "What?"

She shook her head, smiling fondly. "Nothing. It's just... you really never stop being the Doctor, do you? I mean, here you are, all grumpy and gray," she said fondly, waving her hand at him. "And you're insulting humans just as much as you did when you were Nine, and rambling as much as Ten did, and you've been as careful and gentle with me as Eleven usually is, and you secretly care about those pudding brains just as much as every single regeneration before you, don't you?"

He stopped, watching her for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug that made her let out a surprised squeak. "Thank you," he whispered into her hair.

"Wh-what for?" she asked, wrinkling her brow. "I haven't even really done anything since I got here besides need your help. What did I do?"

"You _saw_ me, even though it's your first time meeting this me and you can't even see straight. You looked at me, and you saw _me_ ," he said, holding her tighter for a moment.

She drew in a breath as she suddenly realized. This Doctor had had the most trouble with being accepted as the Doctor after his regeneration. Despite him and Clara patching it up, it was probably still a bit of a sore spot. And if she and the Doctor were still close friends, like she believed (hoped) they were, her opinion would matter to him as well. At least, she hoped so. And so she sighed in agreement and hugged him back.

"You'll always be the Doctor to me," she whispered. "Whether you're old and grumpy, or thin as a rail, or you like fish fingers and custard." He didn't say anything, but he kept one arm around her shoulders when he returned to his work, and a smile was tugging at the edge of his lips. A sudden chirping noise filled the TARDIS, making them look up.

"They're responding. The TARDIS is translating now. It's a number. Fifty-five," the Doctor translated.

" _Fifty-five? What does that mean? And where's Ha- the Ranger? He should be back by now,_ " Clara asked, looking around the train shed.

The Doctor shrugged. "I thought you sent him off. And it could be a lot of things, really. Tenth Fibonacci number, atomic number of caesium..."he trailed off.

Rigsy spoke up, sounding perturbed. " _I know what it means. We all have numbers on our jackets. Have to sign them out. That was the number on Stan's jacket, the man they flattened in the subway_." A hush fell over the group as they realized what that meant.

" _They're gloating_ ," Fenton said, saying what the whole group was thinking.

The Doctor glanced at Lyssa before speaking up. "We don't know that." His voice wasn't exactly filled with conviction, however, and she didn't think that it should be. Perhaps the time spent next to the Doctor and not seeing any of those visions, or whatever, was allowing her to think more clearly as well. Because now she could remember these creatures - more particularly, remember that they were not scientists, trying to understand her world, but killers, enjoying the fear of their prey.

" _It could be an apology_ ," Clara tried, before the view on the screen spun as she turned around. " _Where is the Ranger? It's not like him to be this late_."

" _Really? An apology? That's nice of them_ ," a man's voice came over the speakers. Lyssa couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but judging by the annoyance in Fenton's voice when he spoke next, he was probably being serious.

" _An apology? Are you seriously_ -"

The chirping started again, the sound filling the TARDIS. Lyssa suddenly got a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her hands clenched the edge of the console tighter as the Doctor moved his arm away from her so that he had the use of both of his hands while he worked. Over the speakers, she could hear Clara shushing the group so the Doctor could listen.

" _Two, two. Twenty-two_ ," the Doctor translated slowly, frowning in confusion. Lyssa swallowed hard. She could make out a swirl of gold in the corner of her eye on the screen, and was vaguely surprised at how fast it had reappeared after she lost contact with the Doctor, even though he was still right next to her. She forgot to say anything though, because something else caught her attention.

In the blink of an eye, before she could even speak, the gold swirled around George on the screen, who had been keeping watch off in one corner, and in an instant, he was flat. Dead. And she now knew exactly what she had been feeling.

It was guilt. Because _of course_ now that she could see, the first thing that she could see would be the remains of a man who had once been alive. Who might still be alive, if she had remembered sooner, and told them to leave. Or even to get him out of there. And everyone else was in danger because of her now, because she hadn't remembered it until now; so she was the one to let it reach this point, to let George, and the policewoman, and all those other people die. She was the one to let it reach this point.

Because George was dead now. Flat, like the others, only he wasn't pressed up against a wall. He looked normal, alive, even, from the back. But when he turned around, you could clearly see that he was dead. A shout from the speakers distracted her from her self-loathing, and she looked up to see the Ranger running towards them.

" _Ranger_!" Clara shouted, sounding both worried and relieved all at once. " _Where were you_?" He ran up to her, and she socked him in the shoulder before hugging him quickly then releasing him. " _I thought you were -_." She stopped. " _We think they might be going after George next. I was just about to call him over here_." Lyssa looked up sharply. George was already dead. He was killed by the killer graffiti. She had seen it, and she hadn't even said anything.

"What did you say?" the Doctor asked, materializing by her shoulder again, making her jump. He shook his head. "Never mind." Speaking up so Clara could hear him, he called out, "Clara, get George away from the walls now, and back towards the rest of the group. You need to get out of there, now!" Clara nodded, relaying his instructions to the rest of the group and heading towards George. The Doctor spun back to the console, fingers flying away at his keyboard as he muttered something about trying to slow them down with an inverted something-or-other.

Lyssa shut her eyes, then opened them again, as if to clear her vision, trying to figure out what was going on. George was dead, or at least supposed to be. "Why isn't he dead?" She could see him. His body was flat - there was no way he was still alive. She could see it. The gold that shimmered around his body was flat, too flat to allow for a human-sized body. But then it wasn't, and there was no gold. And then there was. It shifted back and forth at dizzying speeds.

Then Clara and the Ranger reached George, stopping a safe distance away. He turned around, and the gold surrounding his body vanished in a burst of sparkles that made Lyssa flinch. " _What's wrong_?" he asked, his face confused.

Clara must have looked at the Ranger, because his frowning face filled the monitor before turning back to George. " _Haven't you been listening? The creatures are coming, and we think they want you next. We need to get out of here_."

" _Clara_ ," the Ranger interrupted, staring at something in his hand that wasn't clear on the monitor. " _They're close. Really close. I don't know how, but they've managed to create a sort of inverted sound tunnel that blocks out sound. And, uh... they've also managed to block off the exits. That's what I was checking for earlier_." He clenched his fist but kept his voice level. " _We're trapped_." He eyed the walls of the train shed and began to pull Clara and George back towards the main group. " _And we need to leave this area immediately. I think I saw some walls ripple towards the edge of the light_."

Clara drew in a breath, but kept her cool. Waiting until they rejoined the group, she spoke up firmly. " _We need to head for the tunnel, in a calm and orderly fashion, right now. And no questions, your life may depend upon it. Scoot_!"

Lyssa, still clutching the console as she watched them run, felt torn. On the one hand, she was relieved that George was alive after all, they had made it to the tunnel safely, and seemed to be all right, at least for now; but on the other hand, George was still alive. And... she had seen him die.

But... there had been the gold... maybe it was another one of her visions? The Doctor had had to release her, after all. But it wasn't like the other visions, because she had seen him look normal and gold, literally two versions of him at once.

She let out a groan of frustration and released the console to clutch her head. She took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm herself down, then opened her eyes, feeling somewhat calmer, though still relatively confused. When she looked down, however, she noticed that the gold was still present, although not forming any confusing shapes for the time being.

Instead, it seemed content to wrap itself around her, twining around her legs and swirling over her arms. It was calming, really, watching the sparkling gold flow by, with an almost ethereal beauty that she hadn't really been able to appreciate before, too afraid she was losing her mind.

Happy that she seemed to be able to focus on the present for now, she reluctantly looked away from the shimmering colors and turned to the screen. The group outside seemed to be in a tunnel now, and the Doctor's hands were flying over the console as he muttered, "Give me a minute, I'm working on it."

Lyssa stared up at the monitor as it showed the remains of what used to be a door handle, apparently, now virtually fused into the walls. It had been a while since she had seen this episode, and while she remembered the gist of it, some of the finer details, such as what things looked like, had escaped her.

" _Another flat handle. They were here. Not now. They've stopped chasing us, I think. It feels like they're cornering us_ ," Clara muttered. And while they couldn't see her face, they could hear the anxiety in her voice.

"You can't apply human logic. You're dealing with creatures from another dimension," the Doctor reminded her. "They could have a whole different way of approach."

" _Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that was gloating they were doing before, and that's definitely a human thing_ ," the Ranger added, appearing on the screen as Clara swiveled to look at him.

" _Oi_!" She protested, whacking him gently on the arm. " _Humans aren't all like that! And I'll have you know that I've heard both you and the Doctor gloat before_."

" _Beating you at Mario Kart doesn't count_ ," the Ranger muttered, rolling his eyes. " _You're so bad at it, it doesn't even feel like winning when I beat you at it_." She huffed, but turned back to the matter at hand.

" _That's three exits now, all blocked by those creatures_ ," a man's voice said, sounding nervous. Still unaware of who he was, but getting tired of him being nameless, Lyssa decided to give up and call him Dylan, because why not.

" _Rigsy, where's the next exit_?" Clara inquired, turning towards the young man.

" _The only other one I can think of is where the old line joins the new, but it's a fair walk. Getting through that door would be quicker,_ " he explained, nodding towards the now unusable door."

Lyssa saw Fenton, standing beside him, open his mouth to speak, and groaned. "Not him again," she whined. "I don't like him." The Doctor didn't look up from his work, looking like he was on the verge of a breakthrough, but chuckled anyways.

"If it's any consolation, I don't like him either."

She wrinkled her nose. "Not really. You don't really like most people, except for Clara. And the Ranger, apparently."

He frowned and looked up at her. "And you. I've known you far longer than I've known either of them, remember. I look out for them, yes. They mean a lot to me. But you are always going to be my first priority."

Her mouth fell open slightly at that as she stood there blinking, unsure of what to say in response. She wasn't used to this him being so... casual with his affections, except for with Clara later on.

He didn't seem to see anything out of the ordinary about his response, turning back to the viewscreen and speaking up so that Clara and the Ranger could hear him. "Jamie, Clara, I think I might be able to do something about that door. Just give me five minutes."

When they responded in the affirmative, he spun around and darted down the stairs beneath the console, loud noises coming from below shortly thereafter. He returned a few minutes later, bearing a strange-looking device in his hands. Making his way up to the door, he managed to open it and push the device through, where Clara, her hands looking huge through the now-tiny door, took it uncertainly.

" _So... what's that then_?" she asked through the speakers as the Doctor returned to the console. " _A de-flattener_?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "We're not calling it a de-flattener."

" _How about a 're-biggerer'_?" The Ranger's mocking voice filled the TARDIS. " _Or maybe a 'no-more-2D-evil-alien-destruction-device,' or, you know, NM2DADD for short_." His voice was garbled as he jumbled the name, the Doctor scowling while Clara and Lyssa snorted.

"You know, I bet I could preserve some energy for the TARDIS by deleting unnecessary rooms," he threatened. "And the room labeled "Fortress of Evil," looks pretty unnecessary to me..." He let his voice trail off, the implication obvious.

"Hey! I thought we agreed that you wouldn't delete my room anymore if I promised to stop with the space puns!" the Ranger protested.

"And you didn't make any space puns," the Doctor agreed. "So I wouldn't delete it because of that. I'd delete it to help the TARDIS. You know, my sentient space ship which is very important and could really help us all, and save lots of lives. She could always give you a new bedroom as well, might I point out."

" _That's what you said last time_ ," the Ranger grumbled, sounding more like a petulant child than a grown man who _still_ reminded her of someone, she just couldn't think of who it was. " _And then I ended up sleeping in a toddler bed for two weeks before someone_ responsible _was able to fix it_." The _who wasn't you_ was definitely implied there, and Lyssa couldn't hold back a snort of laughter at the thought of the tall man curled up in a toddler bed, sulking.

"Well, you know, the TARDIS does fit the room to the owner's personality and maturity level," the Doctor pointed out, his expression insufferably smug. Then, before the Ranger could reply, he said, "And I would like to remind you that you're currently being chased by aliens from another dimension. You might want to get back to the matter at hand."

" _Well, then, how does this work_?" Clara asked, the monitor filling with the device as she flipped it back and forth in her hands.

"This should be able to restore dimensions," the Doctor started, only to be cut off as the Ranger grabbed the device and ran his finger along the letters on the side.

" _Oh, tell me you didn't_ ," he groaned, clearly understanding what had been written there.

" _Two D is. Two Dee Is_?" Clara read uncertainly.

The Doctor huffed. "No. Twodis. It's called the Twodis. Why'd I even bother? Well, give it a go, then." He settled back impatiently, Lyssa watching nervously with him as Clara held the device up to the door. It sparked for a moment before fizzling out, leaving the door still inaccessible.

" _Long way round it is_ ," Clara said after a moment. Still holding the device, she turned around and indicated to Rigsy to lead the way.

Lyssa, standing by the console, felt something jolt through her, and felt her heart drop at the same time. Meanwhile, the gold flow, which had been gently wrapping itself around her and moving around the room, suddenly flared backwards, as if from a threat, winding around the center of the console as a sharp pain filled Lyssa's head. She cried out and crouched down, wrapping her hands around her head in an effort to make it stop, the piercing alarm that started blaring a moment later not at all helpful.

"Jamie, Clara, I don't know how, but they're doing it again. They're leeching the TARDIS! And it's affecting Lyssa, too! It's getting worse, I don't know how much longer she can hold on!" the Doctor called, silencing the alarm and crouching by Lyssa, wrapping his cool fingers around hers, soothing away some of the pain.

" _How? Your doors are closed_?" Clara's voice demanded, sounding worried.

" _What's happening to Lyssa_?" the Ranger called. " _Is it like before_?"

"They've changed frequency. It's different this time. And the leeching is affecting her, too. It's being pulled out of her, and her body's fighting it. But she's still too weak from her last jump. If it keeps going like this..." His voice trailed off before he spoke to her in soothing whispers, rubbing circles on her temple. "Lyssa, I don't know if you can hear me, but just hold on, all right? The symptoms should be going away soon. You'll feel better in a moment, just keep holding on."

Slowly, slowly, she felt the tight band that was wrapped around her head recede, leaving her able to think straight. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she saw the gold streams float away from the center of the TARDIS and float back to her, winding around her arms and legs before moving up to her heart, where some of it seemed almost to seep into her skin.

She jerked back instinctively, the Doctor's arms tightening around her as she did so. But she felt noticeably better afterwards, and she was able to breathe easier, as the gold streams continued to wind around her in a way that was almost comforting.

"Lyssa?" the Doctor's voice was worried, and he was watching her closely.

She looked up at him. "What happened? Some of the gold just... went into my skin. And now I feel better. What... what's going on?"

He frowned, eyes darting around the console room before returning to her. "Bit of a long story. But... I know why it's affecting you more, now. The leeching... it's pulling energy from both you and the TARDIS. Only, the energy it's getting from you is from the Time Vortex. How, I don't know yet. But your body's resisting it, trying to hold onto the energy, because you need it."

She frowned. "But... I thought you said there was too much in my body already, and that's why I was seeing the gold stuff. Because that was how my body was getting rid of it."

He shook his head. "Not exactly. Your body's getting rid of some of it, because there was too much. But the way it's releasing it, is the natural way." He paused. "Well, natural for the only person in the universe who can hold the Time Vortex in any shape or form. Anyways, your body is trying to get rid of the extra, yes. But not all of it." He sighed. "Your body's bonded with the Time Vortex. It's like blood for you, almost. You can't get rid of all of it, or you'd die. You need it to survive, but you can't have too much, or too little.

"Your body's developed the natural way to control it, releasing it when there's too much, and not jumping when there's not enough, allowing the reservoir to fill again, keeping it at the prime balance. When there's too much, like now, it releases it in a secondary measure - in the form of the visions you see." He hesitated again, watching her carefully. "But again, it's like blood. When you withdraw it, you do so in a controlled fashion, with a sterilized needle, and a trained expert. What they're doing is the equivalent of an amateur slicing open an artery. They're taking too much, and it's not controlled."

She blinked. "So... it's like an unauthorized blood draw? And that's why the gold keeps flowing around me?" She gestured to the gentle streams still circling around her. "Because at first it wanted to leave, and now it doesn't?" She frowned. "That almost makes it sound sentient."

He shrugged. "Not exactly. Not like you or me, but... in a sense, almost, yes. It's bonded with you, and so if you're in need of repair, so to speak, it will fix you as best as it can. When there was too much, it tried to leave. Now that it's being sucked away in the wrong way, it's returning to you as best as it can. It's trying to maintain the balance. Like I said, it's not exactly sentient, but... almost like water in a river. It keeps going, and maintaining the balance. You're like a side branch that circles back to the main part. It fills you, but releases back into the Time Vortex."

She nodded slowly, trying to process that. "So... I'm like the tributary of a river, basically?" The thought sparked a memory of another episode. "At least I'm not a pencil in a mug," she muttered, thinking of Donna.

He snorted and stood, helping her up carefully before releasing her, watching her to make sure she was steady. "I apologized. Maybe not right away, but I did apologize for that."

" _Aaaaaaagh_! _Aaaaargh_!" Screams, that she could identify in the back of her horrified mind as belonging to the man she had dubbed 'Dylan,' filled the TARDIS.

The Doctor whipped around the the screens, taking in the information there and staring at the monitor. "Of course. The next stage. 3D," he muttered. Lyssa stared at the forms taking shape on the monitor, and tried to accept the fact that Dylan was now dead as well, although she could make out George's (still) living form in the side view of the monitor.

" _Run_!" Rigsy's alarmed voice shouted.

" _Doctor? The door. The handle's flattened_ ," Clara's voice said, sounding worried as the view switched to a door with yet another flattened handle. The Ranger stood off to the side, making sure that everyone was accounted for, although Lyssa could make out him staring at George as well, with a confused, somewhat unhappy expression.

"I've boosted the output," the Doctor told her. "Try it again."

" _And it will work this time_?" her voice sounded skeptical as she held up the device to the door.

"Absolutely," he assured her, before turning to Lyssa and shrugging. "Maybe," he mouthed. He winced as Clara tried the device again, only to have it fail. The group slowly backed away, starting to move down the tunnel. "Clara, stop. Use it again. It can reverse the process."

" _There's a ladder at the end of this. If we get down into the tunnel, we can make it into daylight_ ," Rigsy tried, trying to sound calm.

" _Hang on, hang on_ ," Clara muttered, pacing, judging by the way the screen moved. " _There's something I'm missing. Ranger_?" she tried, turning to him.

Muted talking from the other members of the group filled the TARDIS, before something caught Lyssa's eyes. The flattened doorknob was slowly filling out, returning to it's previous shape. She nudged the Doctor and gestured to it. His eyes widened before he sighed.

"They have a new ability. Of course they have. Now they're 3D, they can restore dimensions. Clara, do you want the good news or the bad news?"

" _We're in the bad news! We're living in the bad news_!" she returned, sounding very unhappy at the new turn of events and backing away from the door, the Ranger holding a protective hand in front of her and everyone else.

"The good news is I've come up with a theoretical way to send them back to their own dimension," he said hastily.

" _Then do it_!" The Ranger shouted at the same time as Clara. " _They could come through at any minute_!"

"And that's the bad news. The TARDIS doesn't have enough dimensional energy to pull it off," the Doctor finished.

" _Great. What do you want me to do about it_?" Clara asked sarcastically.

" Apparently these things can pump it out as fast as they can steal it," the Doctor said thoughtfully.

" _Maybe if I ask them really nicely, they'll fill you up again. Hey_!" Clara and the Ranger both started shouting suddenly as the TARDIS began to shake, before Lyssa felt a sensation of falling fill her stomach. She had time to exchange a worried glance with the Doctor before the TARDIS hit the ground with a solid thud that made her wince, even if she didn't feel any pain. " _Doctor? Lyssa? Are you all right? I dropped you down a hole. Where are you_?" Clara's worried voice reached them after a minute.

The Doctor stood up with a groan and looked over the console. "I don't know. My shields have gone. Structural integrity is failing. Another blow like that and we've had it. Er, we're on the train lines. And there's a train coming. Of course there is. Short-term re-materialization? Not enough power. Teleport? Not enough power. Re-route the heart of the TARDIS through - not enough power! Not enough power!" He groaned and clutched his head in his hands. Lyssa drew in a deep breath and stood up, the gold swirling around her. She winced as a train whistle echoed through the TARDIS.

" _Can't you move the TARDIS_?" Clara tried.

The Doctor shook his head. "Clara, there is no power. The TARDIS couldn't boil an egg at the moment. Listen, do what you can to get those people out of there. You're stronger than you know."

Clara's sigh filled the TARDIS. " _No, I mean you move the TARDIS. Like... The Addams Family_."

" _Like Thing_!" the Ranger added. " _I used to love that show when I was a kid. But you'd best get a move on. That train sounds close_!"

The Doctor nodded in comprehension, opening the now tiny doors and sticking his hand through. Placing his hand on the ground, he managed to drag the TARDIS off of the tracks and onto the ground farther away, leaving them safe. "Ha!" he shouted, doing a little victory dance.

Unfortunately, the rumbling from the approaching train tipped the TARDIS back over, and onto the tracks again. Lyssa looked up with wide eyes as the oncoming train filled the monitor. "Doctor!" she cried, terrified. He rushed over and hit a switch on the edge of the console, before pushing Lyssa to the ground and wrapping his arms around her just as the train hit, the sound of a loud impact filling the console room. Lyssa, eyes still wide open, was able to see the gold swirl around her and the Doctor moments before they crashed to the floor.

After crouching over her for a moment, as if expecting something else to happen, the Doctor slowly leaned away from Lyssa. "Are you all right?" he asked in a low voice. "I was able to turn siege mode on, but there was still a chance of damage."

Lyssa shook her head to clear the ringing in her ears, waiting until it faded to respond. Letting her eyes track the gold that was now swirling around her and the Doctor, she said uncertainly, "Nothing's wrong, as far as I can tell. But... I think something's different with the time stream or whatever it is that's in here. It swirled around us both just before we hit the ground. And it's still there now."

The Doctor hesitated, going still as his eyes searched the room, although Lyssa got the sense that he wasn't seeing the room itself, but the golden streams. After a moment he sucked in a breath and looked back at her. "You're right. It is circling us both. I don't know why, but it is. I've never seen the time stream do that before. But I don't think that that's it... it might have been responding to the heightened time sense we were both using, though."

"Time sense?"

He nodded. "You, because that's what your body was doing naturally. Me, because I needed to check up on you. I couldn't see the visions, if that's what you were wondering, but I needed to see if the time stream was acting differently." He turned to the console, testing out a few switches and getting no response before speaking louder. "I don't know if you can still hear me out there, Jamie, but the TARDIS is now in siege mode. No way in, no way out. I managed to turn it on just before the train hit. But there's not enough power left now to turn it off."

He stared at the console in silence for a few moments. "We should be all right though," he assured Lyssa. "Jamie and Clara are out there. They'll figure it out." Lyssa stayed seated, but smiled at him; despite knowing that his words were a front, in an attempt to encourage her. It fell flat a moment later, as an alarm began to resound through the TARDIS again, although there was no drain of energy this time. The Doctor's fingers flew over the console. "No, no, no. What are you doing?" he demanded worriedly.

He stopped a moment later, his shoulders sagging before he turned to Lyssa in defeat. "I... have some bad news," he admitted.

Lyssa watched him knowingly. "It's the life support, isn't it? It's failing."

More to the point, they were running out of oxygen, which meant that they were going to die slowly from carbon dioxide. At least it would be relatively painless, as they would likely pass out long before they died.

He nodded, taking a seat next to her. "Yes. Might as well conserve oxygen. We've only got what's in here now."

They sat in silence, side by side as the minutes slowly passed, trying to breathe as slowly as possible. It seemed like no time had passed at all before Lyssa began feeling sleepy, and it began to get a little hard to breath, although she almost didn't notice. Letting her head fall to the Doctor's shoulder, she blinked her heavy eyes, vaguely noticing that she couldn't see the gold streams anymore, and wondered if that was a bad thing. But then she decided that she was too sleepy to care, and closed her eyes.

The Doctor noticed her sleepiness, and tried to rouse her, though his own movements were slowing now. "Come on, Lyssa. Try and hold on for a few minutes longer. You're more susceptible because you're already weak. Just hold on." She mumbled something in return, and tried to curl in closer. He sighed before wrapping an arm around her and letting her head fall to his lap, where he slowly stroked her hair.

"Life support failing. I don't know if you'll ever hear this, Clara. I don't even know if you're still alive out there. But you were good! And you made a mighty fine Doctor. And Jamie, you keep going the way you are now, I think you'll be better than good, you'll be a great man one day. Probably better than I could ever hope to be. You'd make your parents proud." Silence descended on the TARDIS, the only sounds coming from their ragged breaths, although Lyssa's were growing slower and farther apart.

She was so tired, now. She just wanted to sleep. In the background, she could hear something whirring. Then she was gently picked up and carried to a soft place, and covered with something warm. There was the sound of a door opening, and then, just before she fell asleep, she heard someone start speaking in a low voice.

"I tried to talk. I want you to remember that. I tried to reach out, I tried to understand you, but I think that you understand us perfectly. And I think you just don't care. And I don't know whether you are here to invade, infiltrate or just replace us. I don't suppose it really matters now. You are monsters. That is the role you seem determined to play. So it seems I must play mine. The man that stops the monsters. I'm sending you back to your own dimension. Who knows? Some of you may even survive the trip. And, if you do, remember this. You are not welcome here. This planet is protected. I am the Doctor. And I name you The Boneless."

* * *

 **A/N: So... this turned out to be a super long chapter. :/ But I really wanted to keep the Doctor's epic speech at the end because, hello, epic speech! ;) So the Twelfth Doctor has come... next up, we should be meeting several people for the first time...**

 **Also, I'm a horrible person... I have all my christmas shopping to do, three several-hours-long classes (at my leisure) to get started, a whole bunch of homework, and an almost complete chapter to write for my other story that's due Tuesday... and I basically have to do it all tomorrow. :/**

 **On the bright side, I have the best readers ever! I am now at almost 8,500 views, over 65 favorites, and over 100 follows! Thank you all, you guys are amazing. And of course, my lovely reviewers. Shout-out to yellowroseofthenw, MageVicky, E-man-dy-S, Alix Winchester, and Guest for reviewing!**

 _ **yellowroseofthenw: Who is Jamie? Well... that's... bit of a long, complicated story. One that can't be told. It has to be lived. *smirks* And the visions... Just a hint: They don't necessarily portray her exact future. Also, just a reminder: They're a bit wonky right now. She's kind of essentially dealing with a time stream overdose. Hope that confuses you more. ;)**_

 _ **MageVicky: Feel free to PM me with a guess! I'd enjoy seeing what you came up with. All I have to say, is that "they" are very dangerous, very cruel, and... won't be revealed for a very, very long time. :) Glad you liked it!**_

 _ **E-man-dy-S: Hopefully this clears it up a bit more. Thanks for the feedback! I tried to make it more clear who was speaking and from where this chapter. Hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **Alix Winchester: Welcome to my story! I love seeing new readers who enjoy my work. Haha, Hatter is awesome. (And attractive ;)) We'll see bits and pieces of it here and there, but not all the time. This was... essentially an overdose of time that had built up in her. More to be explained on that in who-knows-how-many-chapters-further-ahead. And yeah... there's totally going to be a happy ending for my other story, but the thrill of writing it was real. And thank you for the compliment!**_

 _ **Guest: Jamie is... a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, all gathered up under a hat that's just a little too... perfect because he looks like Hatter, and Hatter is hot. ;) There's actually a pretty big hint in that explanation... That probably makes absolutely no sense without the context. But if you wanna real hint, maybe ask Clara? She knows exactly who he is... for now. :)**_

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who... Yet...**


	17. Chapter 17 - The Aliens of London

When Lyssa woke up, she was in the time stream just long enough for her to realize where she was before it all began to fade around her once more. She rubbed a hand across her face as she slowly stood up, trying to figure out where she was while dealing with a very unpleasant headache that was getting only marginally better. Looking around the area, she wrinkled her nose. It seemed to be made up of some sort of copper-colored material, and didn't seem native to earth, judging by the symbols on some of the panels. A ship, maybe?

She didn't get time to explore further, as the ground beneath her suddenly tilted sharply. She let out a startled shriek as her feet slipped and she started to slide across the room. Grabbing onto a handle anchored by the wall, she clutched it desperately as the ship tilted even further, leaving her scrambling for a place to hold her feet. Judging by the sharp angle, the ship was going in for a landing that was not entirely planned. Casting her eyes about desperately for somewhere that might offer some small protection, she saw a small alcove a few yards away.

It was small, and she would be cramped, but it was better than nothing, so she stretched herself towards it as best as she could, wrapping her fingers around the edge of the metal and using it to brace herself as she inched her way towards it. Once she was close enough, she let go with her other hand, and tried to swing herself into the small opening as the plane/ship/whatever she was on tilted even more. She managed to make it right as a large crashing sound filled the ship, followed by an impact that sent her flying back against the wall behind her, slamming her head into the wall before she slid to the ground.

But the ride wasn't over yet. The ship went straight down before crashing one final time, leaving her tumbling as the room spun around, and she thudded into first one wall, then the next. When it finally stopped, there was a large panel laying across her legs, and she was so dizzy she could hardly see straight. Fighting the urge to lose whatever she'd eaten last - she couldn't remember when, or even what that was - she focused on taking deep breaths and trying to calm her heart, which seemed to be beating fast enough to power another heart as well.

Once she was able to see straight and think past the pounding of her heart, she tried to sit up. Feeling something wet trickle on her forehead, she gingerly prodded at it and groaned when her hand came away with a bit of blood. She was sick of getting injured all the time, she was sick of, well, feeling sick, and to be honest, she was also just feeling plain sick. But the bleeding didn't seem to be too bad, so she left it for now and focused on her legs. The panel lay straight across both of her legs and seemed to be too heavy for her to move alone, judging by the pressure on them.

Still, it couldn't hurt to try, so she wedged her fingers underneath and heaved with all her strength, but only managed to move it down a few inches. She could still feel her legs, though, so on the bright side, she probably wasn't paralyzed. Maybe.

She tried again several more times, hoping to gradually be able to move it enough that she could wriggle her way out, but had to pause for breath a few minutes later. Looking around her for anything she could use as a lever - why couldn't she have thought of _that_ earlier? - her eyes widened. For something that seemed to have crash landed, the room was remarkably still intact, with only some more aesthetic damages, such as the panel trapping her, that seemed to be present.

A loud crashing noise from a distant area made her freeze, followed by some unintelligible voices. She instinctively cried out for help before flinching as she realized what she had just done. The ship seemed to be alien - the symbols on the ship were not human, at any rate, or at least not from any human language she had ever seen. Maybe the voices were from survivors, or a rescue attempt, but they might not be human - and she had just drawn their attention to her in the worst way possible. And she was still trapped to boot.

Luck seemed to be on her side for once, however, because as the voices grew closer, they also appeared to be both human and speaking in English. She ignored the niggling thought in the back of her head that reminded her that the TARDIS translated for its occupants, because the voices themselves sounded human, and the TARDIS didn't always do that. Regardless, she needed help getting out. So she raised her voice and called for help again, trying to attract their attention. She heard their voices getting closer and sent up a silent prayer that they would be friendly - or at least not hostile.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" The voice was cautious.

"Please, I'm trapped, and I can't get out! I need help!" she begged, straining once more at the heavy metal. She heard some clattering, growing louder as they seemed to draw nearer. She held her breath as she saw movement near the doorway. She flinched backwards a moment later as she realized that it was the barrel of a gun aimed directly at her. She held up her hands in the air immediately. "Please don't shoot!" she yelped. "I'm not a threat, I promise!"

Three soldiers entered the room slowly, one with his gun trained on her, the other two sweeping the room. "Clear," he reported after a tense minute of silence. "It's just the girl."

The soldier watching her relaxed slightly. "What are you doing here? You speak English - what species are you?"

She frowned. "I'm human. Aren't you?" She looked around. "Where even am I? Am I on Earth? And judging by the accents... is this England? Or some space colony that likes England? Space Britain?" She was rambling, but she couldn't help it, she was nervous. "And umm... Could someone help me? I'm sort of trapped here."

The soldier eyed her skeptically before motioning to the other two to release her. "You're in London. And you still haven't told me why you're here." Lyssa breathed a sigh of relief as her legs were relieved of the weight, but felt nervous at his words.

She shrugged as she got to her feet, stumbling a bit as she did so. "It's a bit of a long story, and I'm honestly not too sure of most of it, or how I even got here. Can I leave now?"

The soldier frowned, his eyes hardening. "Cuff her," he ordered.

"Wait, what? Hey!" Lyssa cried, protesting as the other two soldiers grabbed her by the arms and cuffed her hands, restraining her.

"You're in an alien space ship that just crashed into Big Ben, along with an alien pilot, and you expect me to believe that you're human?" His voice was filled with skepticism. He grabbed the radio by his side and turned it on. "Torchwood One, this is Unit Three Command. I've found what looks like a human female in the back of the ship, alive. Possibly a disguise. I'm bringing her back to base with the deceased alien, over."

Lyssa tensed at his report, adrenaline coursing through her. An alien crashing into Big Ben - that sounded familiar. Ninth Doctor, right? Which meant that the Torchwood mentioned was the one pre-Doomsday - very much active right now, and not at all alien friendly. Which meant she was probably in trouble too.

But the Doctor was supposed to come to see the alien, which meant she had to stay with it. She just hoped he knew her. She'd never jumped to this point in his timeline, so this might be their first meeting. She really, really hoped not.

"Wait!" she cried suddenly, startling her guards and making them tighten their grips on her. "I have to stay with the pilot! It is my duty to guard him, even in his demise!" She had to think fast, and hoped they believed her long enough for her to escape. She really didn't want to be stuck in a prison cell with Torchwood until she jumped again.

The leader narrowed his eyes at her. "So now you talk, huh? What's really going on?"

She straightened her back and fixed them with what she hoped was a scornful look. "This is not the time, or place for such a discussion, nor are you of adequate rank to hear such knowledge. My mission is to protect the pilot. I will not speak if I am not allowed to stay with him."

 _Please believe me, please believe me,_ she chanted mentally, hoping she still had the acting skills that had won her an award in 6th grade.

"Fine," the leader grunted at last. "We were bringing you two together anyways." He nodded at the soldiers holding her, and they immediately started dragging her out of the room, moving fast enough that she was essentially pulled along, stumbling to get her feet underneath her. They tugged her down a maze of hallways, moving around various wreckage as they came across it. They finally reached the entry point, where two soldiers were carrying out a body covered in a sheet on a stretcher.

She was pushed out behind them, squinting at the bright light of the sun. Her eyes darted to a news helicopter hovering a safe distance away, and she knew that there would be cameras trained on them. She had to act fast, if only to get the Doctor's attention. Jerking away from the guards enough to angle her body towards the copter, allowing them to get a good view of her face, she took a deep breath and yelled, "Doctor!" as loud as she could, hoping to get the message across.

Instantly she was jerked backwards harshly, the soldiers swarming around her to block her from view, another pointing at the helicopter and shouting something. Once she was out of site, a bag was tossed over her head and she was left in the dark, stumbling along with her captors until she was roughly deposited in a vehicle. A door was slammed, then she felt the vehicle start to move. Afraid to make any noise after her daring attempt, she sat quietly and tried to force her breathing to remain calm, and come up with some sort of way to maintain her story for as long as possible.

They stopped a few minutes later and she was roughly hauled out of the vehicle, dragged into a building, then deposited onto a chair where the bag was ripped off of her head. She shook her head, trying to get her loose hairs out of her face and looked around the room wildly, trying to note any routes of escape.

One of the soldiers in the room, evidently the leader, stepped forward and grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look at him. "That was a pretty bold move back there," he sneered. "What did you want with this 'Doctor' of yours? A rescue attempt? A signal to attack? A cry for help?"

Lyssa glared at him, finding it easy to act like she was a nonhuman who hated humanity when she was faced with such a despicable specimen. "I will not answer to you, _human_ ," she spat, emphasizing the last word to try and play up the idea that she wasn't. "He is necessary to my mission."

"And that is?"

"To protect the pilot. I need to stay with the pilot. That is all I will say until I am with him. Where is he?"

"He's dead. You've failed in your mission. Might as well give up and tell us what we want to know." His voice was smug and uncaring. He was definitely Torchwood material, with his lack of regard for life (and perhaps, a tendency to miss the obvious, like that she was clearly a human).

They continued to press her for more answers, asking her completely ridiculous questions (why yes, she was planning on invading the earth all by herself with only a pig for a pilot. How did they know?), before giving up when it became clear that she wasn't going to say more without seeing the other alien. They dragged her roughly into a morgue, where the body of the little creature was displayed on a table, medical devices scattered around it. The other occupants in the room looked up when she came in.

"It refused to talk until we took it here," the leader explained. He looked down at Lyssa and grinned coldly, handcuffing both of her hands to a chair. "I'll leave you in the capable hands of our medical department. I'm sure they can't wait to get their hands on you." He turned back to the others. "Do a complete scan. I want to know what species this thing is, find out its' weaknesses, whatever it takes to get it to talk." He and the others left, leaving her alone with the medical technicians and a guard outside the room.

What followed was a very unpleasant procedure as she was poked and prodded and had her blood drawn multiple times, all while being treated as a non-sentient, sub-human life form. She submitted to them meekly, as so far, it wasn't very invasive at all, and it meant she was in the same room as the creature, where hopefully the Doctor would find her.

Also, you know, if the bad guys with guns told her to move, she was going to move. Eventually the only other person currently in the room, Dr. Sato, just wheeled the creature into a cupboard - presumably to keep it cold, and sat down at her desk to work.

"I know what you're doing, you know." Her voice startled Lyssa. "Trying to fool them."

Looking up from where she had been subtly straining at her handcuffs, her heart not slowing from the rapid pace it had been beating at since she was captured; she lied, "I don't know what you're talking about, human. I've been completely honest with you. I will not answer your questions until the time is fit to do so."

Dr. Sato shook her head. "No. I mean, I know that you're lying about who you are. You're human, aren't you?" Lyssa watched her warily. "Because I've been looking over the results from your tests. The end results all point to you being human. And I know why you're lying. More to the point, I think I know who you are. But I don't think Torchwood knows yet, don't worry."

She snorted and shook her head. "If I had Torchwood One hunting me down, I'd pretend to be an alien, too. Throw them off the trail, try and hold empty threats or promises over their heads while I try to escape. But if you are who I think you are, you should be all right soon enough. He'll be here for you soon."

Lyssa sat frozen, staring at her. She had some vague notion in the back of her head that this was the woman who would end up working with Jack, but she didn't know if that had happened yet, and whether or not she was on her side. Regardless, she didn't get much of an answer as a thumping noise from the cabinet startled them both.

Dr. Sato frowned and looked over at it, before shaking her head in dismissal. The thumping noise repeated. Then again. It seemed to be coming from the cabinet the creature had gone in. Lyssa watched it nervously. As far as she could recall, the creature had died... It had been killed in the crash.

It thumped again. Dr. Sato slowly stood up and began to edge her way over to it. "Are you crazy?" Lyssa hissed. "Haven't you ever seen a horror movie? That's how people die!" But she was ignored. Typical.

The thumping began to increase in pace, growing more frantic as time passed. Dr. Sato edged closer to it. Wrapping her fingers around the handle, she ignored Lyssa's worried remarks and opened it, staring inside before falling back with a horrified scream as something barreled into her.

"Dr. Sato!" Lyssa cried, straining at her cuffs, eyes darting about the room in an attempt to see the creature, who was darting about madly, before seeming to disappear somewhere in the room. The woman was cowering on the floor when a group of people ran in.

"It's alive," Dr. Sato breathed, trembling as one of the men stood forward. Lyssa's eyes widened when she realized that it was the Ninth Doctor.

"Spread out. Tell the perimeter it's a lock down," he ordered the men behind him. Running to Dr. Sato's side, he knelt down and grabbed her hand in worry. Seeing the men still weren't listening to him, he rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance. "Do it!" he barked, finally galvanizing them into action, leaving the three of them in the room.

"I swear, it was dead," Dr. Sato cried, on the verge of hyperventilating, a trickle of blood running down her forehead from a gash near her hairline.

"Coma, shock, hibernation, anything. What does it look like?" he said impatiently. He turned to look around the room, his eyes falling on Lyssa as he did so. She lifted one manacled hand as best as she could and waved sheepishly at him.

"Uh... hi? I don't know if you know me yet, but if you could use your screwdriver to let me out of here, I'd be very grateful, and explain as much -" She was cut off as the Doctor, staring at her with a strange look in his eye, pulled out his sonic wordlessly and pointed it at her, flicking it on and making her cuffs release. She breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up, rubbing her sore wrists. "Thanks. They were getting a little uncomfortable."

The Doctor snorted, and shook his head with a chuckle, making her relax as she assumed he probably wouldn't be doing that if he didn't know her. "Only you. You _would_ jump onto an alien spaceship right as it's crashing into the Thames and try to pass yourself off as an alien. You all right?" he asked, still smirking. A sound of something shifting - light, hardly noticeable - made him spin around, snagging Lyssa by the hand and pulling her behind him. "It's still in the room," he realized. Grabbing the attention of another soldier, he beckoned them into the room.

Walking forward quietly, he stopped when he heard another rattling noise. Dropping to his knees, he crawled to the edge of the desk and peered around it. Lyssa heard a friendly, "Hullo!" a moment later, followed by a terrified squealing as the creature - now more clearly seen as looking like a pig - darted across the room once more.

The soldier readied his gun. "Don't shoot!" the Doctor cried, seeing that, but it was too late. Lyssa flinched as a gunshot echoed through the room. When she dared to open her eyes again, the little creature was lying on the floor, clearly about to die. "What did you do that for?" the Doctor demanded, crouching down beside it. "It was scared!" he slowly petted the creature until its eyes closed at last. "It was scared."

The soldier looked between him and the creature, obviously confused. Lyssa bit her lip, trying to think things through. She didn't want to enter this episode blind - she'd already done that earlier that morning, and that was no fun at all. She furrowed her brow, trying to remember as much as possible about the episode, and who was going to die. She finally opened her eyes when she thought she remembered most of it, and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the blood stain on the floor. The pig itself - for that's what it was - had been moved to a table, and the two doctors were bent over it.

The Doctor suddenly straightened and noiselessly walked away, grabbing Lyssa's hand as he did so, leading her out of the room and into a corridor. She looked up at him, noticing his jaw was tight, and she swallowed, afraid that he was angry at her for letting the pig get shot. "Doctor?" she asked nervously. "Is - are you..." she fumbled to a stop when he shook his head.

"Best wait until we reach the TARDIS," he explained. "They might have figured out what's going on, and start coming after you. Or me. Or both," he added as an afterthought. Lyssa nodded and bit her lip, not really feeling any better despite the lack of animosity in his tone.

They kept walking at a brisk pace towards the closet the TARDIS was hidden in. Neither of them noticed the open door off to one side, or its occupants, all looking slightly ill. All the soldiers who had been on the ship and been part of Lyssa's capture were inside. All were feeling sick.

When they were all found dead the next day, it was deemed an accidental poisoning, and the matter was dropped hastily. All records of Lyssa had been purged from the system. There were no pictures, no files, no paper trails... Everything was gone.

The being responsible nodded, a self-satisfied expression upon their face as they looked over the scene, watching the Doctor and Lyssa as they ran. "She will be pleased with this. Her identity must be protected. There is too much at stake otherwise." Looking down at their wrist, they hid a vial in their pocket and activated their vortex manipulator, vanishing in a flash of light.

xXx

Once they were inside the TARDIS, the Doctor shut the door behind them firmly. "So... uh... about earlier," Lyssa said awkwardly. "I don't know if... I mean, you sounded like you knew me, but I could be wrong, and you might have no idea who I am, and I don't want to assume anything and mess things all up, and oh gosh, I'm rambling, I'm going to stop now," she muttered, burying her face in her hands.

The Doctor chuckled, enveloping her in a hug that made her let out a surprised squeak. "If you can ramble like that, I know you're feeling all right. It's good to see you again." He buried his face in her hair before releasing her and moving to the console. "So where've you been, then?"

She blinked, trying to process everything that had just happened. "Uh... your future. It's all in your future, as a matter of fact. I've been traveling for about six months now, and this is the earliest I've seen you. Apparently you know me well enough to like me?" She grabbed the console as he began spinning dials, knowing that his driving wasn't exactly smooth.

He paused, eyes flashing to her neck before he carefully assumed a carefree expression; but not before she saw the look of disappointment in his eyes. "Oh, I've known you for quite a while, Lyssa Mae, and let me tell you, we are the best of friends. I've known you for many years by this point."

He stopped, the look of sadness and heartbreak he so often wore appearing briefly on his face before he wiped it off and grinned brightly at her. "So, what do you say we go and grab Rose? I may or may not have left her at her mum's house before coming here, and should probably pick her up."

Lyssa nodded, noticing the look but attributing it to the still-recent loss of Gallifrey. "I like Rose. She might be mad at you, though, up and leaving her like you did."

He snorted, flipping a lever with a flourish as the TARDIS started to wheeze and shake. "You were screaming my name on the telly. Figured I should pop in, see what was up. You never really did get along well with some of the more governmental authority types."

"Says the pot to the kettle," she retorted with a snort as they landed. "Much as I want to see Rose again, there's something I need to check in my room for. Don't leave without me, kay? Also, watch out for Jackie."

He raised an eyebrow, rubbing his cheek. "She's not gonna slap me again, is she? Because I've already had to deal with that once today."

She shook her head with a laugh as she darted up the stairs. "Nah, but she might freak out a bit. See you in a few!" Entering the hall, she took off running, hoping that her room was here, and in the same place. Thankfully, it was exactly where it should be, and looked the same as the last time she had left it.

Grabbing her journal off of her bedside table, she flipped it open to the back, where it was separated by the divider, and paged through it til she found what she was looking for: the summary of the episode she was currently in, along with some pertinent information she had added along the way.

Looking over the people who she knew would die, she frowned. Most of the people would already be dead - the prime minister, the people who had been killed by the Slitheen for their bodies. The secretary, though, or whatever he was, might still be alive. And all the people at the conference who would be killed by their name badges.

She frowned thoughtfully. Looking up at the ceiling, she asked, "Hey, old girl, is there anything you have that could absorb a really big electrical shock? That would draw it from another source? Like, say, electrified name tags?" There was a hum of amusement before the lights in her room went out. Looking out at the brightly lit hall, she shrugged before slipping her journal in her pocket and following them.

She walked for several minutes before being led to a partially open door. Pushing it open, she looked around curiously. It was empty save for a table in the middle, with a small, round gadget on it. At first glance, it looked like a shiny metal ball, but closer inspection revealed tiny symbols on it that she recognized to be Circular Gallifreyan, although she didn't know how to translate it. There was nothing else in the room, but the TARDIS had led her there, so presumably she was to take that. Unless the table was somehow supposed to help...

She eyed it curiously for a minute before grabbing it in her hand and heading for the console room. The Doctor could probably tell her what it was for, and she should be heading back soon anyways. Rose would be there by now, and most likely Mickey too, if she remembered correctly. She winced at the thought. She probably shouldn't have left him alone with the Doctor, considering how well they got along at this point. Sure enough, as she neared the console room, she could hear a male's smug voice going off about something.

"Cos he's worked for them. Yeah, don't think I sat on my backside for twelve months, Doctor. I read up on you. You look deep enough on the Internet... and in the history books, and there's his name. Followed by a list of the dead."

"That's nice. Good boy, Ricky." The Doctor's voice was cheerful. Too cheerful. She hurried her pace.

"But you're not the only one, are you? There's someone else, isn't there. _Her_. It's hidden, but you can find it if you look hard enough. The one person who's arguably more deadly than you. Cos it's not just a list of the dead. It's a list of the _massacred_."

Lyssa pulled up short outside the door. Was that really how she was known to history? Not just followed by a list of people she couldn't save, like the Doctor, but a list of people she _wouldn't_ save?

"I can see it in your eyes. You know exactly who I'm talking about. The -"

"No I don't, because you have no idea what you're talking about," the Doctor interrupted firmly, his voice hard. "Any well-educated person would know better than to just take the word of something they read off the internet, especially when it concerns me."

There was an awkward pause for a moment before Rose spoke up. "If you know them, then why don't you go and help?"

"They wouldn't recognize me. I've changed a lot since the old days. Besides, the world's on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there and fake aliens. We want to keep this alien out of the mix. I'm going undercover... and, eh, better keep the TARDIS out of site. Ricky! You've got a car - you can do some driving!" the Doctor suggested.

"Or maybe not," Lyssa countered, hopping down the stairs and joining them. They all turned in surprise to see her, Rose and the Doctor's faces welcoming, and Mickey's... somewhat less so. "Hi!" she waved awkwardly. "I don't know if you know me yet."

"Lyssa!" Rose shouted, running forward and tackling her in a hug. "Where've you been? The Doctor said you were here, but I couldn't see you!"

"I had to grab something first," Lyssa said, hugging the blonde. "And it's good to see you again. It's been..." She huffed a laugh. "Wow. It's been almost six months since I last saw you. I saw you right after I first started, then I never got to see you again!"

"It's only been six months since you started, and you haven't seen either of us since then?" The Doctor frowned.

Lyssa shrugged and fidgeted with the ball in her hand. "Uh... Bit of a long story. I may or may not have had something happen, and then may or may not have gotten stuck on Earth with you for five and a half months before I jumped again earlier this morning. Which sucked, by the way. I kept seeing all this gold, and totally missed half an adventure, because you wouldn't let me leave the TARDIS until I could see straight. Also, I think we just left Amy and Rory on their honeymoon. I hope you remembered to go back for them, their ship was going to crash at some point," she muttered.

"Anyways, could we leave now that she's here?" Mickey asked impatiently, ignoring the bemused look on Rose and the Doctor's faces. "There's still aliens out there, you know, sending some sort of signal."

Lyssa nodded. "He's right. We need to get a move on. Let's go!" Opening the TARDIS doors, she stepped outside into the cool evening air, followed by the others.

"Where to?" Mickey asked, pulling out his keys.

"The roads are clearing. Let's go and have a look at that spaceship," the Doctor ordered, shutting the TARDIS behind him.

No sooner had he done so, then the sound of helicopters began whirring around them, and a spotlight was centered on them. " _Do not move!_ " a voice ordered over a loudspeaker as they froze. Mickey made a break for, darting out of the circle and hiding behind some nearby bins. " _Raise your hands above your head! You are under arrest!_ " They slowly obeyed, a grin appearing on the Doctor's face.

"Don't say it," Lyssa warned, seeing the look in his eye.

He paused, turned towards her ever so slightly, and looked her dead in the eye, a smirk appearing on his lips.

"Don't you dare..."

"Take me to your leader!"

"Dang it, Doctor!"

xXx

After a long car ride where it was revealed that they were not being arrested at all, they arrived at 10 Downing St, the British version of the White House, and were ushered towards a private room where people were slowly filing in.

A man towards the front of the group spoke up. "Ladies and Gentlemen, could we convene? Quick as we can, please. It's this way on the right and can I remind you, ID cards are to be worn at all times." Approaching the Doctor, he handed him an ID card. "Here's your ID card. I'm sorry, your companions don't have clearance."

The Doctor frowned. "I don't go anywhere without her - them," he corrected himself hastily, looping the card around his neck.

"You're the code 9, not them," the man said firmly. "I'm sorry, Doctor... it is the Doctor, isn't it? She'll have to stay outside."

The Doctor placed an arm around Lyssa's shoulders, his hand curling into her arm. "They stay with me."

"Look, even I don't have clearance to go in there. I can't let them in and that's a fact," the man explained. "Maybe if the Oracle were here, but they're not."

"Look, Doctor, it's all right. You go," Rose urged.

Seeing the mulish expression staying firmly put on the Doctor's face, Lyssa tugged his free arm sharply. "Look, you need to go with them. Just..." She paused and bit her lip, face flushing from the heat of his stare as she tugged his ID card back off of his head. "Get rid of that. Get as many people to take them off as possible, no matter how you do it. Oh!" She held up the orb in her hand and offered it to him. "And take this. I don't know how to use it, but hopefully you will. You'll need it in there."

He removed his arm to hold the orb with both hands, running his fingers over it before returning his focused gaze to her. "Since I know you're up to something, I'll play along for now. But I think we'll need to discuss how, exactly, you got your hands on this later. I'll keep it close for now," he promised, discretely tucking his ID card into the base of a nearby plant. He ignored the bickering between the man and a middle-aged woman who had just come up, wanting to talk to the Doctor. "And you two, be careful, all right?"

"I'm always careful," she said with a smile.

"That's what I'm afraid of," he retorted with his classic smirk. Leaning forward, he kissed her on the forehead before spinning and walking into the room too fast for her to say anything, leaving her standing there sputtering until a hand grasped her arm.

She looked over to see the man holding her and Rose. "I'm going to have to leave you with security," he informed them.

"It's all right, I'll look after them, let me be of some use," the woman - Harriet Jones - said, coming up and taking them. Leading them away, she said softly, "Walk with me, walk with me. That's right... don't look round! Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North," she explained, holding up her ID card. She stopped them when they were alone. "This friend of yours... he's an expert, is that right? He knows about aliens?"

"Why do you want to know?" Rose asked in confusion, looking at Lyssa but not giving anything away. She flinched when Harriet suddenly broke into tears, before awkwardly patting her on the arm in an attempt at comfort. Harriet regained control after a few minutes, and apologized for her outburst, leading them to the cabinet room. Lyssa took a deep breath as they approached, trying to brace herself for what she was about to see.

"They turned the body into a suit! A disguise for the thing inside!" Harriet exclaimed, bursting into tears again.

"It's alright! I believe you. It's... it's alien. They must have some serious technology behind this... if we could find it..." Rose muttered, rummaging around the room. "We could use it."

Lyssa stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, staring at the cupboard in the back of the room as Rose turned towards it, deciding to check inside. Pulling it open with a jerk, she jumped backwards with a gasp as a body fell forwards. "Oh my gosh! Is that..." Rose stared at it in horrified disbelief, leaning over it with Harriet to examine it.

"Harriet, for crying out loud! This has gone beyond a joke, you cannot just wander..." The man from earlier started, charging in before coming to a halt when he saw the body. "Oh my word. That's the prime minister! But that's impossible. He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street, he was driven away!"

"And who told you that, hmm?" A sickly sweet voice made them all turn. A middle-aged blonde woman on the heavy side stood blocking their exit, an evil smile on her face. Lyssa cringed, knowing what was supposed to happen next. The blonde woman - Margaret, she recalled, reached up to her forehead and began to tug on an invisible zipper, a blue light flashing as she slowly peeled off her outer skin to reveal the slimy Slitheen body beneath. Letting it drop, she smirked at the expressions of disgust on their faces.

"That was so much more disgusting seeing it in person," Lyssa winced, wrinkling her nose. She tensed, preparing to leap to rescue the man with a nearby chair once Margaret went after him. She heard an animalistic roar of delight, and drew in a deep breath. The next instant, all the air was forced out of her lungs as she was grabbed around the neck and slammed into the wall, the claws around her neck growing ever tighter as her world went dark and her eyes rolled back into her head.

* * *

 **A/N: So in case anyone was wondering, people can pass out (and die) from being choked in a matter of seconds, particularly, I believe, if it's complete choking (i.e., relentless, complete blockage, full pressure on the carotid and jugular, etc.). Which is how I believe Indra Ganesh (the secretary) was killed so quickly in the show, after only being choked for a matter of seconds. So in theory, that part is sound.**

 **If it's not, and any of my readers are scientists who I've just grievously offended, then I apologize. :/ Otherwise, please just suspend your disbelief. :D**

 **Guys, we're over 9,000 views right now! *unintelligible screams of delight***

 **Thank you to all my readers, and everyone who's favorited and followed. And, of course, shout-out to E-man-dy-S, skashley7, and Guest for reviewing!  
 _E-mandy-S: Thanks! I'm glad it read easier. Hope you enjoyed this one! ;)  
_**

 ** _skashley7: Aww, thanks. :) River is fab everywhere, but I'm glad you liked mine! As for your theory, I can neither confirm nor deny that... but... you'll be seeing something related to that soon! Something that will tie in to one of the biggest arcs I have planned for this story. ;)  
_**

 ** _Guest: Wow. Everyone's interested in Jamie, now! He's the same species as Clara, chill guys. (Don't worry, I love it when people review asking questions. It means I get to see how far I can throw them off the track). As for him being the Doctor and Lyssa's son... that's actually an interesting idea. let me see how well that would tie in with what I really have planned for him (Nothing nice, poor guy) and get back to you on that._**

 **Also, slightly longer chapter this time, as I wanted to get this whole episode up in one chapter and maybe do something very special for Christmas after the second part. ;)**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: Only Lyssa's mine.**


	18. Chapter 18 - World War Three, Part 1

When Lyssa woke up, she was alone. She started to groan, but the very attempt seemed to crush her aching throat, making her cough uncontrollably. She gasped for air, hands flying to her throat as involuntary tears filled her eyes.

When she finally stopped choking, she focused hard on breathing in slowly and calmly for a few minutes, trying to get her breathing under control until she no longer felt the urge to take great gasps of air that she knew would only start the process over again. Once her heart stopped pounding in her chest, she wiped the leftover tears out of her eyes and slowly sat up straight, looking at her surroundings.

She was still in the Cabinet Room, and the body of the prime minister was still lying abandoned by the closet they had found him in. There was no sign of the others. She slowly ran her fingers along her neck, wincing as even the tender touch was enough to cause pain.

She frowned as the memories came rushing back. Margaret - Blon - the Slitheen - had grabbed her instead of the secretary, Indra Games or something like that. But she had taken him in the show, and he was dead after only a matter of seconds. So why wasn't she?

She reluctantly grabbed the wall for support to help her stand up, still feeling a little shaky. Sliding her hand into her pocket, she felt the little mirror compact next to her diary that she had placed there in case she ever jumped and met a weeping angel. For her, it was now a legitimate concern. Pulling it out, she flipped it open and held it close to her neck, pulling down her purple scarf in an attempt to see the damage.

She winced as she saw the dark purple bruises already starting to form, wrapping around her throat. The Doctor would _freak_ when he saw those. She tugged the scarf back up, pulling it higher so that it covered the bruises as much as possible, but keeping it loose and away from her bruises; then tilted her head slightly downwards to cover the rest.

Her next problem was that she highly doubted she would be able to speak. If there was already bruising, and it was that severe, it was very likely that her vocal cords would be bruised as well. She opened her mouth to try and speak for a test, but couldn't even get the first syllable out before she had to stop when all that came out was a breathy gasp, followed by pain wracking her throat.

So speaking was out, then. The (silent) question was, how exactly would she be able to pull that off with the Doctor, then? If he was anything like his future selves, he would no doubt notice that something was off, and then there would be trouble. Maybe if she pretended she wouldn't speak, to maintain the timeline or something?

And speaking of trouble, the Doctor came barreling in the door barely a moment later, closely followed by Harriet and Rose, being chased by several lumbering green members of the Slitheen family. Sweeping a bottle of brandy off of a nearby table, the Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver to it threateningly.

"One more move and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof! We all go up. So back off," he warned. The alien hesitated just outside the doorway opposite him. "Right then. Question time. Who exactly are the Slitheen?"

"They're aliens," Harriet informed him, her tone sounding torn between trying to be helpful, and wondering how he could have missed something that obvious. Lyssa felt her lips quirk up in a smile. Obviously they hadn't noticed her yet, and she was content with hiding in the background. On the bright side, she thought she'd make a rather lovely stage prop.

"Yeah, I got that, thanks," the Doctor retorted impatiently, rolling his eyes.

"Who are you, if not human?" One of the males inquired.

"Who's not human?" Harriet frowned, looking between the group.

"He's not human," Rose answered.

"He's not human?" Harriet repeated incredulously.

"Can I have a bit of hush?" the Doctor interrupted, his tone screaming annoyance.

"Sorry," came the guilty reply.

"So, what's the plan," the Doctor asked, returning to the matter at hand.

Harriet just couldn't stop herself. "But he's got a Northern accent."

"Lots of planets have a North." Rose parroted the Doctor's earlier claim.

"I said hush! Come on!" The Doctor held the brandy threateningly. "You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of the government, what for? Invasion?"

Lyssa bit back a smile as the alien reared back its head, offended at the question. "Why would we invade this forsaken planet?" it spat.

"Then something brought the Slitheen here, what is it?" the Doctor was not deterred in his line of questioning.

"Slitheen is not our species. Slitheen is our surname. Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer Day Slitheen at your service." It bowed mockingly.

"So, you're family," the Doctor summed up, unimpressed.

"It's a family business," Jocrassa agreed, completely unperturbed.

"Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a "forsaken rock"?" the Doctor mocked him.

"Ah... excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?" Jocrassa questioned.

The Doctor looked at the brandy in contemplation. "Is that what I said?" Lyssa couldn't help herself and face-palmed, the smacking sound lost in the continuing conversation.

"You're making it up!" Jocrassa accused.

"Ah, well! Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it." The Doctor offered her the brandy, but she refused.

"Pass it to the left, first," she reminded him.

Apologizing with a glint of humor in his tone, he passed it to Rose, who took it with an amused grin and word of thanks.

"Now we can end this hunt with a slaughter," Jocrassa practically purred, raising his claws threateningly in the air. The Doctor merely folded his arms, refusing to be cowed.

"Umm, Doctor. Shouldn't we be running?" Rose asked nervously, edging further out of reach as the Slitheen shuffled forward.

The Doctor refused to back up, instead smiling innocently at the hunters.

"Fascinating history, Downing Street. Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mr. Chicken. He was a nice man. 1796, this was the Cabinet Room - if the Cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four safest walls in the whole of Great Britain." He pressed a switch on the wall. "End of lesson." Every entrance in the room was immediately covered by metal barricades, sealing the room off, and he turned around, smiling proudly. "Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall. They'll never get in."

Rose nodded studiously, her lips pressed together to hide a smile. "Great. And uh... how do we get out?"

"... Ah."

Lyssa couldn't help herself. Ignoring the pain it created, she snorted, causing all three to simultaneously turn and look at her. When she realized all eyes were on her, her eyes went wide, and she smiled sheepishly and waved, hoping they wouldn't say anything that would require her to speak.

"Lyssa! You're all right!" Rose cried, darting forward and hugging her. Lyssa closed her eyes, blocking out the Doctor's frown at that, and smiled, hugging the blonde back. Rose pulled back a moment later. "I thought you were-" Lyssa clamped a hand over her mouth and shook her head sternly, tilting it slightly towards the watching Doctor. Rose's eyes darted towards him before flickering back to her, confused. Lyssa clamped her lips together and raised her eyebrows, trying to get the message across.

"What? What's wrong with Lyssa?" The Doctor's voice cut in, sounding worried as he strode over towards them. He pushed past Rose, placing his hand on her shoulders before looking her up and down, scanning for some sign of injury. She shook her head and smiled reassuringly at him, before raising a finger to her mouth in the universal sign for silence. He frowned. "You're fine, but you can't talk?" She nodded. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Is this related to something that happened while I was away? Somethin' you can't talk about for some reason?"

Well, there was definitely a good reason she couldn't talk about it, but probably not the one he was thinking. She nodded, pulling her journal out of her pocket and waving it in the air meaningfully. Hopefully he would blame her silence on something she knew was going to happen, and not look for another source.

He needed to be completely focused on the matter at hand, or they were all in trouble, and if he knew she was hurt, she was well aware that he would not be gentle in his dealings with the Slitheen, nor would he be clear headed. He was protective of all his companions, and while she was grateful he cared enough that she would be on that list, she needed him to focus on getting them all out alive.

He nodded in comprehension as soon as he saw her journal, quirking the edges of his mouth in a smirk. "I get it. One of your spoilers again?" She smiled in return before jerking her head back towards the two other occupants of the room, trying to get him back on track. Thankfully, Rose seemed to have finally gotten the memo that she wouldn't, or couldn't, talk, and didn't want him to know, although she seemed to be confused by something else as well. Harriet seemed to be aware of the fact also, and looked even more confused than Rose, and upset to boot.

The Doctor looked over at them and nodded. "Right." Eyes flashing back towards Lyssa, he scanned her one more time, something dangerous and very unhappy making a brief appearance before he hid it expertly, pulling her in for a tight hug. "Glad you're alive," he whispered into her hair, before releasing her and turning back to the others.

She frowned, feeling very much like her secret was not really a secret at all anymore. Not to mention the fact that he had said he was glad she was alive, not that she was all right - hinting that he knew she wasn't all right. Because she couldn't fool herself. There was no way that she was all right after nearly being choked to death. She knew there was bruising, and possibly some swelling, and it was difficult to breathe at times, more if she tried to speak.

She had no doubt that as soon as he knew for sure that something was wrong, he was going to be just a _bit_ overprotective of her. Either way, he was at least pretending that nothing was wrong for now, and she would more than happily play along with that. Once this was over, she would take her coddling with a smile.

"- compression field, literally shrinks them down a bit. That's why there's all that gas, it's a big exchange," the Doctor was saying, explaining the technology to the two women as Lyssa wandered up behind them. His eyes flickered to her as she came closer, but otherwise he stayed focused, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and beginning to scan the walls of the room. She also noticed that the body of the prime minister had been moved to somewhere out of sight, and couldn't help but feel grateful. She wasn't exactly a stranger to death, but it was no old friend either, and she had no desire to see it anymore than she had to.

"Wish I had a compression field, I could fit a size smaller," Rose cracked a nervous smile.

"Excuse me, people are dead. This is hardly the time for making jokes," Harriet rebuked her, her sense of decorum offended.

"Sorry," Rose apologized. "You get used to all this stuff when you're friends with him," she explained, gesturing towards the Doctor, who seemed to be completely ignoring them.

Lyssa frowned, watching the blonde. She wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, or was just falling back on the age-old plan of hiding what you're really feeling with a joke. Or maybe both. She supposed she couldn't really talk. She had been guilty of the same thing on many occasions, and so had the Doctor.

"Well, that's a strange friendship," Harriet muttered, shaking her head.

The Doctor seemed to take an interest, and looked up from the walls. "Harriet Jones, I've heard that name before, Harriet Jones. You're not famous for anything, are you?"

The older woman scoffed. "Huh. Hardly."

"Rings a bell, Harriet Jones..." The Doctor trailed off, thinking hard. His eyes flickered as he doubtless ran through hundreds of different memories in his head, before landing on Lyssa, who smirked when she saw him looking at her. "You know what I'm thinkin' of, aren't you?" he accused. She lifted her head high to meet his gaze, then stopped when the pull at her skin made her wince and turn away. She nodded and waved her hand in the air dismissively, hoping he would ignore it and assume she meant that she wouldn't explain it.

Instead, there was a pause before she felt a strong hand land on her shoulder. She winced, biting her lip, and stood her ground resolutely, not wanting to turn around and meet his knowing gaze. So he went around her anyways as she stood there guiltily, her eyes on the ground.

"Lyssa," he said once, sounding concerned. Her eyes flickered up to meet his, then away again, finding a very interesting-looking spot on the carpet. He placed a hand under her chin, and gently started to lift it up, only to stop when she flinched and hissed in pain.

Abandoning that route, he instead hooked a finger in her scarf and tugged it down, careful to keep from pulling her head along with it. Lyssa could tell the exact moment he could see the extent of the bruises from the way he stilled for a moment, his body stiffening before his fingers gently trailed over her neck. He studied it for a minute before angling his head to meet Lyssa's eyes, the girl looking back at him guiltily. His blue eyes were filled with a sharp anger that made her shrink back before she realized that it wasn't directed at her.

"What happened?" he bit out, staring at the others, his voice hard.

"Uh, the Slitheen thing, it caught all of us in here. We thought it was human at first, then it... peeled itself out of its skin, and attacked Lyssa, slammin' her into the wall and chokin' her. When it stopped and let her go after being electrocuted, she wasn't..." Rose faltered, her shoulders sagging. Beside her, Harriet looked somehow both ashamed and confused.

"She wasn't moving. We thought she -" Rose hesitated before clearly changing what she had been about to say. "We thought she wouldn't be able to keep up, and it'd be better if the Slitheen came after us, instead," she said instead.

The Doctor's face tightened, his expression grim. Finally he nodded and pulled Lyssa back into another tight hug. "I thought we talked about you gettin' yourself into all these dangerous situations all the time earlier today," he joked weakly. "Wasn't landin' on a crashing spaceship enough for you? Were you tryin' to give me a double heart attack?" Lyssa snorted and shook her head before burying it into his chest. She needed the reassurance as much as he did, and neither of them were complaining.

Finally, though, he pulled back a few inches, his hands going to her neck again. "Be more careful," he scolded. "I'm startin' to think that I can't take you anywhere, what with your penchant for getting into trouble." She scoffed at the weightless threat. He wasn't exactly the most innocent of people in this conversation either, but this was hardly the time or the place for such a conversation. Not to mention the fact that, you know, she couldn't talk.

"Do you happen to know of anything that might be of use?" she could hear Rose ask the older woman softly. "Maybe there's something else we could be doing, or a position you could fill temporarily."

"Lifelong back-bencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now. The protocols are redundant, they list the people who can help and they're all dead downstairs," Harriet said, shaking her head dismissively.

The Doctor perked his head up and turned towards them, sliding his hand down Lyssa's arm until he could grab her hand and bring her with him back towards the group. "No, they're not," he countered. "That device you gave me, that little ball," he started, pulling the silver ball from earlier out of his pocket and looking down at her before back over at the others.

"It's a primarily defensive weapon that my people created. It's basically an energy transporter. When the Slitheen set off the electricity in the name badges, only a few people were affected, thanks to Lyssa getting rid of mine, and urgin' me to get the others to remove theirs as well. And when I activated this," he chuckled, spinning the ball in the air before catching it again.

"Well, it collected all the energy in the room, then essentially, returned it to the sender. A solid hit with this, and boom! they were all affected." He paused. "It's a bit of a design flaw, really, the whole 'if you take down one, you take down them all,' sort of thing. Bit of bad planning, that."

He frowned down at Lyssa. "And once this is over and you're all patched up, I'd like to know exactly where you found this. They should all be hidden away, especially with people like Ricky out on the loose. He could easily wipe out the power in the security grid by mistake. And I've done that before. It wasn't pretty, let me tell you."

"Doctor!" Rose interrupted, looking a bit put out. "If they're all alive, then couldn't we just tell 'em what's going on?" she asked bluntly.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not likely. The transporter was built for my people. You humans, your systems are all," he waved a hand in the air vaguely, "different, and easier to upset. The energy feedback that resulted knocked 'em all out. They're all alive, I checked 'em out with my screwdriver, but of course that was when the soldiers came chargin' in, and to them, it looked like I'd done it, and they weren't really willing to listen to me. So they've probably all been taken to the hospital, and we won't be able to reach any of the others," he explained, picking up his sonic screwdriver and going back to scanning the mantelpiece.

"Oh," Rose's shoulders sagged. "There was a man with us too, Indra something. We got separated, though, while we were runnin', and he could'a escaped, or been caught, I don't know." She began pacing in frustration. "Those protocols. Hasn't it got, like, defense codes and things? Can we just launch a nuclear bomb at 'em?"

Harriet stared at her. "You're a very violent young woman."

"I'm serious! We could!" Rose insisted.

"Well, there's nothing like that in here. Nuclear strikes do need a release code, yes, but it's kept secret by the United Nations," Harriet explained, still looking at the blonde girl warily.

The Doctor stopped scanning and spun back around, still clutching Lyssa's hand. "Say that again," he ordered.

"What, about the codes?"

"Anything, all of it."

"Um, well... the British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a special resolution from the UN," Harriet started uncertainly.

Rose snorted. "As if that's ever stopped them."

"Exactly, given our past record, and I voted against that, thank you very much,  
Harriet stated proudly. "The codes have been taken out of the government's hands and given to the UN." When the Doctor didn't say anything, deep in thought, she frowned. "Is it important?"

"Everything's important," the Doctor informed her.

"If we only knew what the Slitheen wanted." Harriet stopped and scoffed at herself. "Listen to me, I'm saying 'Slitheen' as if it's normal."

"What do they want, though?" Rose asked curiously. She glanced at the Doctor and Lyssa's entwined hands before dismissing it and looking at either of them for an answer, remembering that Lyssa couldn't speak, and turning to the Doctor.

Lyssa glanced down at their hands, wondering if the sight made the blonde unhappy. In the show, didn't she start feeling something for him by this point? Unwilling to antagonize her new friend, she started to loosen her grip, only for the Doctor to reclaim it, tightening his in response without looking at her.

"Well, it's just one family so it's not an invasion. They don't want Slitheen world... They're out to make money, which means they want to use something, something here on Earth... Some kind of asset," the Doctor started, thinking out loud.

"Like what? Oil? Gold? Water?" Harriet suggested, running through the various ideas that came into her mind.

"You're very good at this," the Doctor complimented her, pleased.

"Oh, thank you," Harriet replied, obviously grateful for the statement.

"Harriet Jones, why do I know that name?" the Doctor muttered to himself, still trying to think of what she reminded him of. Beside him, Lyssa chuckled to herself silently, glancing up at him with mirth in her eyes as he thought.

Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister, and the woman who ushered in Britain's golden age.

Or at least, that's what he would be thinking if he could remember who she was. She raised an eyebrow at him mockingly when he looked down at her, his own eyebrow raised in question. "Oh, hush you," he told her with no real heat, a smile pulling at his own lips. "I know very well you wouldn't tell me even if you could." She shrugged, conceding the point.

The sound of a phone ringing made them all jump. "Oh! That's me," Rose said, pulling her flip phone out of her pocket. Lyssa couldn't help but tilt her head to the side and look it over curiously. She may have only been twelve years from the future, but almost everyone she knew back in her old world (a sad number of people, really) had upgraded to a smart phone, and had had them for years.

"But we're sealed off in here, how did you get a signal?" Harriet asked in disbelief.

"He zapped it, super phone!" Rose explained. "Lyssa's got a special phone that does the exact same thing." When they turned to look at her, she shook her head and tugged on her pockets in a symbolic gesture. "Well, sometimes she has her phone," Rose amended.

"Then we can phone for help! You must have contacts," Harriet tried, looking at the Doctor.

He shook his head dismissively. "On their way to the hospital, yeah."

"It's Mickey," Rose spoke up, staring at her open flip phone.

"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy," the Doctor told her, irritation filling his face at the mention of Rose's significant other.

"Yeah, he's not so stupid after all," Rose retorted, handing him her phone. On the screen, clearly visible is a picture of another Slitheen, standing in a threatening position in a kitchen, Jackie's, if Lyssa remembered correctly. The others waited silently as Rose called her boyfriend immediately, her posture tense until he picked up, when it relaxed ever so slightly. They talked for a minute, before Rose began shaking her head.

"Is she all right, though? Don't put her on, just tell me."

The Doctor moved forward and snatched the phone from her with his free hand, his sonic screwdriver having somehow vanished during the earlier conversation.

"Is that Ricky? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer," he ordered Mickey bluntly. He waited while Mickey spoke back to him, the grimace clear on his face, Lyssa smiling at what was about to come next. "Mickey the Idiot, I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but uh, I need you."

* * *

 **A/N: This isn't quite as long as I wanted it to be, but I wanted to get it up sooner rather than later, so... :P**

 **But, on the bright side, this chapter is now officially over 10,000 views, and that's so amazing! (And over 100,000 words!) Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to yellowroseofthenw and E-man-dy-S for reviewing!  
**

 ** _yellowroseofthenw: Haha, yeah, I wanted to try something a bit different, and that idea just occured to me, and I went with it. I'm glad you liked it! :)  
_**

 ** _E-man-dy-S: Let's just say that the Doctor has know Lyssa for quite a while, but it will be a while before I really start to get into that... And for the mysterious person, well... let's just say that there are several people/groups who stand to benefit from certain people, not necessarily Lyssa, staying away from the attention of the general public/organizations like Torchwood as much as possible. More on them, later. And that's a great point you brought up! I will try and integrate that somehow into my next chapter. Good job catching that! Thanks for reviewing! :)_**

 **I'm sure I'll think of a hundred things that I meant to write after I post this chapter, but for now, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who**

 **Random Disclaimer: I have nothing against flip phones, btw. My mom had one for years, and they are** _ **sturdy**_ **marvels of technology. (As opposed to my smart phone, which will practically crack if I sneeze and the wind is blowing, or something trivial like that.) They're just less common where I'm from, apparently, (I'm pretty sure that I've legit only seen pictures of them for a few years now), so that's where Lyssa's coming from.**


	19. Chapter 19 - World War Three, Part 2

"Say that again," the Doctor requested, placing Rose's phone on speaker and placing it in the middle of the table.

" _It's asking for the password_ ," Mickey's voice filled the room. After a bit of finagling, he had agreed to become the Doctor's middle man to the outside world, and was using his laptop to access the UNIT website.

"Buffalo, two f's, one l," the Doctor told him.

" _So, what's that website_?" Lyssa raised her head as she heard Jackie's voice for the first time. She had no idea whether or not the blonde woman knew her yet, but this was hardly the time for a chat, and even if it was, she couldn't speak.

" _All the secret information known to man_ ," Mickey explained, the sound of keys tapping echoing over the phone. " _See, they've known about aliens for years, they've just kept us in the dark._ "

The Doctor scoffed. "You were born in the dark."

Lyssa scowled at him, leaning over and whacking him across the shoulder at the same time as Rose scolded him. "Oi, leave him alone!" When the Doctor rubbed his shoulder as if in pain, Lyssa just raised an eyebrow at him.

" _Thank you_ ," Mickey said smugly. " _Password again_."

"Just repeat it, every time," the Doctor instructed. He turned back to the group. "Bit of a security risk, that, having it be the same password for everything, but I can't deny it's comin' in handy today." He paused and began to pace the room in thought. "But Big Ben, though. Why'd the Slitheen hit that?"

"You said to gather the experts, to kill them," Harriet offered timidly.

The Doctor shook his head dismissively. "That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon, you don't need to crash land in the middle of London."

Lyssa looked up thoughtfully. The others might've gathered for anything like he'd said, but the Doctor wouldn't show up for something unless it caught his interest. She opened her mouth to speak instinctively, then started to cough when the effort seemed to trigger her throat, causing it to feel like it was closing up again.

She felt a hand on her back as she coughed, rubbing it soothingly as she tried to get the air back into her lungs. When her throat finally stopped spasming, she closed her eyes and sat down on the ground, resting her head on her knees and feeling weak after fighting for air for so long.

"Lyssa." The Doctor sounded very worried now, kneeling beside her. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, smiling weakly. She gave him a thumbs-up, then gestured to her throat and shook her head. "You're fine, it was just your throat?" he guessed. She nodded, shrugging unhappily. She noticed both Rose and Harriet watching her in concern, and looked away. Bad enough she would have the Doctor mother-henning her, she didn't really need anyone else doing it, too. "Do you want me to heal you now?" the Doctor asked, raising his hand and gesturing towards her throat.

"What on earth is he talking about?" she heard Harriet murmur to Rose. "The bruises on that poor girl's neck will take at least a week to fully heal, if not longer."

"It's the Doctor," Rose whispered back uncertainly. "I don't know how, but he has something that will heal all her injuries, but it'll affect him in return somehow, so she almost never lets him do it."

Lyssa flicked her eyes back to the Doctor. He still had his hand out, waiting patiently for her. She thought about it for a minute. On the one hand, if she could talk, then she could give them advice on how to defeat the Slitheen. And her throat was extremely sore, _and_ it'd be nice not to have to struggle to breathe anymore. On the other hand, they would figure it out in the end anyways, and every time the Doctor used his regeneration energy, it used up part of his life span.

She shook her head reluctantly. She waved her hands in the air vaguely before giving a weak thumbs-up, hoping to get the message across that she'd be all right.

The Doctor sighed, but nodded in acquiescence. "The offer still stands if you change your mind," he told her. Then, giving her a hand, he helped her stand up. "What were you trying to say before?" he asked. "It must have been important."

Lyssa frowned, trying to remember what she had wanted to say before it all went haywire. Then it came back to her and she wrinkled her nose as she thought about it. In the end, it wouldn't have helped. She didn't recall the Slitheen intending on the Doctor being there, so she doubted that they had created the attack to draw his attention.

Then she stiffened. It had been a while since she'd seen this episode, but she couldn't believe that she had forgotten about the Slitheens' plan to wipe out the planet and then sell it. Her fists clenched in frustration with herself. Shaking her head in dismissal, she pointed to the phone then stalked to one wall, beginning to pace in an effort to wear off the nervous energy flowing through her.

She didn't miss the worried looks thrown her way, but they seemed to have gotten the hint and turned back to the subject at hand, while she tried to think of a way to get her message across. If she let the Doctor heal her, then she could tell them about the plans for the bomb.

But the Slitheen would fail anyways, and she didn't want to take away from the Doctor's lifespan too much, or else that would effect how long he could survive on Trenzalore. She shivered at the thought, but stayed focused. In the end, the bomb would hit 10 Downing Street, and destroy all the Slitheen and any humans who were left inside.

But how could she change that without letting the Slitheen know? If everyone evacuated, so would the Slitheen, and who knows what would happen then? For all she knew, this was a fixed point in time, and the bomb had to destroy the building. Maybe all non-essential personnel could evacuate, and doubtless the Slitheen would have any higher-ranking personnel who might interfere with their plans leave as well. That could hopefully work... Maybe...

She turned her attention back to the group as a whirring noise began to emanate from Rose's phone, where the Doctor was listening intently. "It's some sort of message," he said slowly, still listening.

"What's it say?" Rose frowned.

"Don't know, it's on a loop. It keeps repeating," the Doctor replied, furrowing his brow. He scowled when a melodic noise disrupted the signal. "Hush!"

" _That's not me_ ," Mickey defended himself. " _Go see what it is_ ," he ordered someone, most likely Jackie.

" _It's 3 o'clock in the morning_ ," Jackie grumbled.

" _Well, go and tell them that_."

"It's beaming out into space, what's it doin' that for?" the Doctor had stopped paying attention to the conversation, and returned to the signal.

Lyssa, however, had tensed as soon as she heard Jackie say that it was three in the morning. Darting forward, she waved her hands in front of Rose's face, startling the blonde. "Lyssa? What is it? Is there something wrong?" she asked uncertainly.

Lyssa nodded frantically, pointing at the phone, then at her throat, then holding up three fingers. "Something's wrong... with... your throat? Is it getting worse?" Rose tried. Lyssa shook her head, pointing emphatically at the phone, holding up three fingers again. "Something to do with the phone, and there's three of them?" Lyssa's shoulders sagged as she stared at the blonde with a deadpan expression. "Well, I'm sorry I don't speak mute, okay?" She winced. "That was rude. I'm sorry. But I can't really understand what you're saying."

Lyssa just pursed her lips and waved off her apologies. It was too late anyhow, as Jackie's voice suddenly flooded the speakers, screaming about how the 'Slickeen' had found them.

" _They've found us_!"

"Mickey, I need the signal!" the Doctor reminded their computer helper.

Rose stared at him in disbelief. "Never mind the signal, Mum, just get out! Get out of there!" she cried frantically.

" _We can't, it's by the front door_ ," Mickey said flatly, before both he and Jackie gasped. " _Oh my gosh, it's unmasking, it's going to kill us_!"

"There's got to be some way of stopping them," Harriet declared, before turning to the Doctor, who was just as worried as the others, but hiding it somewhat better. "You're supposed to be the expert, think of something!"

"I'm trying!" he retorted, his eyes flitting across the room as he thought desperately for a way to halt the situation.

" _I'll take it on, Jackie. You just run. Don't look back, just run_." Mickey's determined voice made Lyssa flinch. Dismissed by the Doctor and Rose, only just now being accepted by Jackie because of the situation, the hero in him rose to the surface, hinting at the man she knew he would eventually become.

The sound of a door shattering made them all cringe. "That's my mother," Rose told the Doctor desperately, seeming to have forgotten about her boyfriend.

He nodded, something inside him seeming to snap. "Right! If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from - which planet. So, judging by their face and shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance. What else do we know about them? Information!"

"They're green," Rose suggested.

"Narrows it down!" he confirmed.

"Uh, good sense of smell?"

"Narrows it down."

"Oh! The compression technology!" Harriet said excitedly!

"Narrows it down!"

"The spaceship in the Thames, you said slipstream engine?" Rose remembered.

"Narrows it down!"

There was another sound of smashing wood. "They're getting in!" Mickey shouted.

"The way they hunt, it's like a ritual!" Rose blurted, looking even more worried. Lyssa bit her lip unhappily, silently urging the Doctor to figure it out quickly, while simultaneously rethinking her decision to keep the Doctor from healing her.

"Wait a minute," Harriet said suddenly. "Did you notice, when they fart, if you'll pardon the word, it doesn't just smell like a fart, if you'll pardon the word; it's something else. What is it, it's more like uh... um..."

"Oh! Bad breath!" Rose jumped in. Lyssa nodded hastily when they looked at her, confirming their guess and ignoring the pain in her throat from the movement.

"That's it!" Harriet agreed.

"Calcium decay! Now _that_ narrows it down," the Doctor declared.

"We're getting there, Mum!" Rose shouted.

"Too late!" Mickey shouted, Jackie screaming behind him.

"Calcium phosphate, organic calcium, living calcium, creatures made out of living calcium, what else, what else, hyphenated surname, yes! That narrows it down to one planet! Raxacoricofallapatorius!" the Doctor shouted triumphantly.

" _Oh, yeah, great. That helps. We could write 'em a letter_!" Mickey said sarcastically.

"Get into the kitchen!" the Doctor ordered, ignoring the sarcasm as the sounds from the phone seemed to suggest them following his orders. "Calcium, recombined with compression field, ascetic acid. Vinegar!" He explained.

"Just like Hannibal?" Harriet asked timidly.

He beamed at her. "Just like Hannibal!" He turned back to the phone. "Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

" _How should I know_?" the young man complained.

"It's your kitchen," the Doctor retorted in disbelief.

" _Give it here, what do you need?_ " Jackie said suddenly, her voice replacing Mickey's.

"Anything with vinegar!"

" _Gherkins_!" Jackie said triumphantly, the sound of a cupboard door slamming. " _Yeah, pickled onions_!" Another door slammed. " _Pickled eggs_!"

"You kiss this man?" the Doctor asked Rose, wrinkling his nose. Not missing the blonde's annoyed expression, Lyssa sighed and reached over, whacking the Doctor on the shoulder again before returning her attention to the phone. There was the sound of a door being kicked open, and everyone held their breath before a sudden explosion made them all flinch, then sigh with relief when they heard cheering coming from the phone.

"Hannibal?" Rose asked, turning to the Doctor.

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving the rocks with vinegar," Harriet explained.

"Oh. Well, there you go," Rose nodded, accepting the explanation.

There was some muted muttering from the phone before Mickey's voice spoke up again, sounding serious. " _You need to listen to this_."

A new voice began to emanate from Rose's phone, one that Lyssa presumed belonged to one of the Slitheen's.

" _Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads and they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within 45 seconds_ ," the new man announced as they gathered around the phone.

"What?" the Doctor frowned, staring at the phone.

" _Our technicians can baffle the alien probes. But not for long. We are facing extinction. Unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg the United Nations - pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes! A nuclear strike at the heart of the ship is our only chance of survival. Because... from this moment on... it is my solemn duty to inform you that planet Earth is at war_." The supposed prime minister sounded entirely too happy about the supposed problem.

"He's making it up. There's no weapons up there, there's no threat. He just invented it," the Doctor scoffed.

"Do you think they'll believe him?" Harriet asked softly.

"They did last time," Rose spoke up, her face as serious as the others.

"That's why the Slitheen went for spectacle. They want the whole world panicking, because you lot, you get scared, you lash out," the Doctor explained, glaring at the table as if it were responsible for the entire situation.

"They release the defense codes..." Rose realized.

"And the Slitheen go nuclear," the Doctor finished.

"But why?" Harriet asked, still unable to grasp the entirety of the situation.

The Doctor didn't answer, instead stalking over to the metal shutters barring them from the Slitheen, pressing the button on the side and standing in front of the door as it opened, a dangerous aura radiating from him. The Slitheen were still there, but one of them, Margaret, had returned to her human form, and stood in the front of the group, a smirk on her face.

"You get the codes, release the missiles. But not into space because there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth, they retaliate, fight back. World War Three, whole planet gets nuked," the Doctor accused.

"And we can sit through it in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed. Just parked. They'll be two minutes away," Margaret bragged, not an ounce of guilt apparent in her expression.

"But you'll destroy this planet, this beautiful place. What for?" Harriet demanded, joining the group but making sure to stay behind the Doctor.

"Profit. That's what the signal is beaming into space, an advert," the Doctor answered without turning, staring Margaret down.

"Sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it. Piece by piece. Radioactive chucks capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel," Margaret declared, smirking.

"At the cost of five billion lives," the Doctor spat.

Margaret merely sneered at him. "A bargain. A bargain good enough to make the Siren weep, to paraphrase a saying, don't you think?"

The Doctor stiffened, glaring at her. "Then I give you the choice: Leave this planet, or I'll make you. And I can guarantee you won't like the second option."

The Slitheen all burst out laughing. "What, you? Trapped in your box?"

The Doctor didn't look abashed in the slightest, continuing to stare her down. "Yes, me."

The smile slowly slipped from Margaret's face as the Doctor glowered at her, pinning her down with his gaze as he pressed the button to close them in again. When it was finally shut, he turned back to the others, the stern expression still on his face.

Rose, however, now that her mother was safe, couldn't help but snort. "That lot, they must be morons. Don't they know that you're the most dangerous when you're with your box?" she asked teasingly.

The Doctor couldn't help a wry smile. "Yeah, well, unfortunately I don't have my box with me," he reminded her, ignoring Harriet's confusion. "I mean, I've got Lyssa, but she can't talk right now, so it's a bit tricky, but this box..." he trailed off, seeing Rose's expression suddenly change as she whirled on the brunette.

"That reminds me," she bit out, stalking over to Lyssa. "My mum could've died, and you didn't do anythin' about it. Care to expound on that?"

Lyssa held up her hands in surrender, before using one hand to point at her throat, knowing it wouldn't satisfy the blonde's righteous anger, and using the other to keep the Doctor from stepping in. He stayed back grudgingly, but watched the situation carefully, ready to step in if he thought he needed to.

"Don't give me that," Rose scoffed. "You could have found some other way to let us know well ahead of time, or just let the Doctor heal you! The situation is dire enough that I think it would have been justified. My mum could have been killed, and you knew! I know you did!"

Lyssa nodded carefully, trying to figure out how to explain without triggering another coughing fit. That was the last thing they needed. Pointing at the phone, she held up her fingers in the universal "OK" sign, then at her head.

"Yeah, they're all right," Rose huffed. "No thanks to you."

Lyssa shook her head, trying to reign in her frustration. The blonde was justified in her anger, as she probably didn't know Lyssa all that well, and to be fair, Lyssa had essentially just stood by the entire time. She tapped on her wrist where a watch would go, formed her hand into a fist and pointed her thumb behind her, then tapped her head, then pointed at the phone and made the OK symbol again.

Rose just shook her head. "I don't understan' what you're sayin'. What's your point?" Lyssa sighed and looked at the Doctor pleadingly, hoping he had gotten the message at least.

He cleared his throat. "Lyssa, could you repeat the message, only slower this time?" She nodded, before thinking about it and rearranging it slightly to hopefully be more clear. She pointed at her head. "You think? You know?" She nodded, then pointed behind her. "Behind you?" She shook her head, before trying something else. Holding up her pointer finger, she used her other hand to form a backwards 'c' in front of it, hoping it would look like a 'b'. "B?" He guessed. She nodded, then held up four fingers. "Four?" She nodded again, then drew her separate hands together to represent joining them together.

"B, four, before?" He tried. Seeing the affirmation, he put the other words together as well. "You know - knew, before that this was going to happen?" She held her hand horizontally in the air and waggled it a little bit before shrugging, then pointing at the phone and making the OK sign again. "You knew before they okay?" he tried, before shaking his head and correcting himself. "You knew beforehand that they would be okay?" She nodded. "And that's why you didn't try to change anything?" She shrugged before nodding. It was as close as she was probably going to get under the circumstances.

The Doctor turned back to Rose. "Did you get that? She knew they would be fine from the start. Jackie and your boyfriend were always going to be fine."

Rose seemed to mull the thought over, still looking unhappy. "I guess. But couldn't you have said somethin' ahead of time? You two are always talkin' about how things could change from what you know at any time. At least we could have been prepared."

Lyssa shook her head, wondering how the heck she was going to get this across. Pointing at Rose, she held up her hands in front of her eyes, then brought them together, narrowing her vision to only a small field. Then pointing to herself, she widened her hands slightly, bringing them to the edge of her face.

"Let me guess. I see the small picture, you see the big picture?" Rose said dryly. Lyssa nodded regretfully and then shrugged, hoping she hadn't insulted the blonde. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her journal and waved it in the air, tapping on the front cover before slipping it back into her pocket. Hoping her expression would make it clear enough, she mouthed the word 'sorry' at the girl, wishing she could speak.

Rose sighed, before nodding. "I accept your apology. And... I guess I'm sorry, too. I should have known that you would've done something to change it if they were goin' to be hurt. Friends?" she asked hesitantly. Lyssa smiled and nodded, pulling the blonde girl in for a hug, noticing the Doctor smile in satisfaction at the two of them before leaning back against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes to think.

"All right, well, I'm not going to pretend that I understood any of that, but might we get back to the situation at hand?" Harriet asked, causing the two girls to break up and Rose to apologize.

There was a pause before Jackie spoke on the phone again. " _All right, Doctor, I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do_."

"If we ferment the porch, we could make ascetic acid," Harriet suggested.

Rose shook her head. "Wouldn't be enough to take care of 'em all," she replied. "Mickey, any luck?"

" _There's loads of emergency numbers, but they're all on voicemail_ ," his voice trickled back.

"Voicemail dooms us all," Harriet joked. Lyssa looked up at the older woman curiously. She didn't seem to be the type to joke in emergency situations, particularly given her earlier comments to Rose.

"If we could just get out of here," Rose sighed, fidgeting where she stood.

"There's a way out of here," the Doctor said, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"What?" Rose said incredulously as they all turned to face him.

"There's always been a way out," he said quietly.

"Then why don't we use it?" Rose protested.

The Doctor sighed, leaning over to speak into the phone to Jackie. "Because I can't guarantee that my friend and your daughter will be safe."

" _Don't you dare_ ," Jackie ordered him immediately. " _Whatever it is, don't you dare do it_."

"That's the thing," the Doctor told her. "If I don't dare, everybody dies."

"Do it," Rose said suddenly.

The Doctor look over at her, startled. "You don't even know what it is, you'd just let me?"

She shrugged. "Yeah. You've got Lyssa in here, so whatever you've got planned, if it's bad enough that you can't guarantee our safety but you're still considerin' it, then it's got to be something that we have to do. And that's good enough for me."

The Doctor and Lyssa stared at her, though likely for different reasons, as neither the Doctor nor Rose would meet her eyes.

" _Please, Doctor_!" Jackie pleaded. " _She's my daughter, she's just a kid_!"

"Do you think I don't know that?" the Doctor snapped. "Because this is my life, Jackie, it's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Rose asked.

Then, instead of replying right away, the Doctor looked over at Lyssa, his eyes sad. She tilted her head at him in confusion, unsure of what he was doing. "I could save the world, but lose you," he told her, his words meant for her and for her alone.

Oh. OH.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. That was not what she had expected. At all.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor. It's mine." Harriet's voice broke into their silent conversation and made them turn to her.

" _And who are you supposed to be_?" Jackie demanded angrily.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people, for the people, and on behalf of the people I command you. Do it," she said, back straight and her voice firm.

The Doctor looked back at Lyssa and grinned, as Rose jumped onto the table. "So, how do we get out?"

The Doctor shook his head, opening the briefcase laying on the table and rifling through the papers inside. "We don't. We stay right here." He turned back to the phone to address Mickey. "Use the buffalo password. It overrides everything."

There was some muffled chatter before Mickey spoke up. " _We're in. Here it is, uh... H.M.S. Taurean, Trafalgar Class Submarine, ten miles off the coast of Plymouth_."

"Right, we need to select a missile," he ordered.

" _We can't go nuclear, we don't have the defense codes_ ," Mickey objected.

"We don't need it, all we need is an ordinary missile," the Doctor told him. "What's the first category?"

Mickey read the words aloud haltingly. " _Sub Harpoon, UGMA4A._ "

"That's the one," the Doctor nodded. "Select." He paused. "Ready for this?"

There was a pause before Mickey spoke again, sounding dead serious. " _Yeah_."

The Doctor closed his eyes. "Mickey the idiot, the world is in your hands. Fire."

Inside the Cabinet Room, they all drew a deep breath, accepting the situation they were now in, Rose sliding off the table to stand by Lyssa. Harriet tapped the steel shutters. "How solid are these?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not solid enough. They were build for short-range attack, nothing this big." Lyssa noticed Rose had a determined look on her face, and pushed her forward, smiling encouragingly. Rose nodded once, then took a deep breath.

"All right. Now I'm making the decision. I'm not gonna die, we're gonna ride this one out," she declared, opening the cupboard door. "It's like what they say about earthquakes; you can survive 'em by standing under a door frame. Now this cupboard's small, so it's strong. Come and help me! Come on!" Lyssa and Harriet hurried forward to help her.

" _It's on radar. Counter defense 556_ ," Mickey spoke up.

"Stop them intercepting it," the Doctor ordered, still standing tensely over the phone.

" _Doing it now_ ," Mickey replied, his tone focused and alert.

The Doctor nodded. "Good boy."

" _556 neutralized_." Mickey paused. " _Looks like the humans are evacuating 10 Downing Street. No sign of the Slitheen_."

The Doctor nodded, his eyes meeting Lyssa's, the relief visible before he grabbed the phone off of the table and turned off the speaker, hurrying to join the others in the cupboard. They all hastily crammed into the corner, shutting the door and huddling together, the Doctor making sure that Lyssa was curled into him with Rose on her other side and Harriet on his other side.

"Nice knowing all of you," Harriet declared, the group mutually deciding to join hands. "Hannibal!" she proclaimed proudly, everyone bracing themselves for the impact.

Then the missile hit.

Lyssa forced her mouth to stay shut as the world began to tilt and they began to fly around the room. She really didn't want to be known as the girl who had survived being hit by a missile, only to die from asphyxiation after she screamed and made her throat close up. She couldn't help a grunt, however, after she smacked into one of the walls particularly hard.

And then, suddenly, everything was still. They all laid in silence for a moment, making sure each other was all right, before they reluctantly got to their feet and pried open the door, staggering out into the wreckage, each rubbing various bruises that were sure to form. 10 Downing Street was gone, and in its place was a smoking pile of wreckage.

Harriet looked around, then at the still intact cupboard they had hidden in proudly. "Made in Britain."

They looked up as a soldier, a sergeant by his badges, came running towards them. "Are you alright?" he asked breathlessly.

Harriet nodded at him and pulled out her ID badge. "Harriet Jones. MP for Flydale North. I want you to contact UN immediately, tell the ambassadors the crisis is over and they can step down. Go on, tell the news!" she ordered him crisply.

The soldier snapped a salute. "Yes Ma'am!" he agreed, hurrying away once more.

"Someone's got a heck of a job sorting this lot out," Harriet commented, surveying the wreckage. "Oh, land! We haven't even got a Prime Minister!"

"Maybe you should give it a go," the Doctor suggested, slinging his arm over Lyssa's shoulders. She smiled at him, but returned her attention to Harriet. She was quickly coming to the conclusion that he was just a touchy person. His eleventh self certainly was, at any rate.

"Me?" the older woman scoffed. "I'm only a back-bencher," she declared, shaking her head dismissively.

"I'd vote for ya," Rose jumped in. "And I bet Lyssa would too, if she was old enough!" She shot a cheeky grin at the brunette, who rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement.

"Now don't be silly," Harriet ordered them. When they all only grinned at her, she shook her head. "Look, I'd better go see if I can help," she told them, making her way across the rubble towards the crowds beyond. "Hang on!" she shouted towards the group of people. "The crisis is over! Sergeant!"

The Doctor chuckled, slinging his arms through both Rose and Lyssa's as they began to walk back towards Jackie's house and the TARDIS. "I thought I knew the name," he commented, watching Harriet walk towards the emergency vehicles and cameras. "Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successive terms, the architect of Britain's Golden Age.

"The crisis has passed! Ladies and Gentlemen, I have something to say to you all! Mankind stands tall, proud, and undefeated. God bless the human race!" Harriet declared proudly, the others watching her fondly before leaving her to her duty and continuing on.

When they arrived back at Jackie's, Rose headed on up to her mother's while the Doctor pulled Lyssa into the TARDIS so he could heal her throat. Once they were in the console room he took Lyssa's hand and pulled her towards the Infirmary. He chuckled at her expression as he pulled her into the room.

"Something tells me that you've seen this room more than once in your travels. It's almost like you want to be in here, or somethin'." Lyssa only rolled her eyes at him, hopping up on the examination table, and tilting her head up slightly so that he could see her neck better.

He tapped something on the monitor next to the table before turning to her. "Now, I'm just goin' to look it over, see how bad it really is. Just keep breathin' calm, all right?" Picking up something that she recognized from her last visit as a scanner, he turned it on and began to hold it in front of her throat, and looking at the results on the monitor.

Evidently the results weren't good, as his expression began to darken. Lyssa felt her heart begin to beat slightly faster, hoping he wasn't going to tell her that there were complications, or something like that. Instead, he turned to her, his face furious.

"Lyssa, these bruises... the depth they go to... you should have died. Whoever did this to you almost killed you. It's a miracle you're even alive right now!"

She stared at him, eyes wide. She knew that Margaret had tried to kill her, obviously, but to hear that she _should_ be dead, by all rights, was a bit unnerving.

The Doctor turned to one of drawers in a dresser, and began to rummage through it, struggling to control his expression with some success. When he turned back to her, he held what looked like something from the Star Trek medical bay. "This is a dermal regenerator," he told her. "It should take care of the swelling, and most of the bruising." Gently lifting her head slightly, he apologized as the pain showed on her face. Holding the tip of the device close to her neck, he turned it on and began to run it over her neck.

She jumped as she felt a light tickle at her neck, but calmed as the pain in her throat began to disappear, replaced by a soothing warmth. Soon, her entire neck was pain free, and by the time the Doctor put the scanner away, she only felt a slight tenderness when she touched her neck, and there was no pain at all when she took a deep breath.

The Doctor leaned against the table and watched her, arms crossed expectantly. "So. How do you feel?" he inquired.

Lyssa smirked at him. "Fantastic."

* * *

 **A/N: So, Lyssa's all fixed now! Well, mostly, but that's not really an issue anymore. And if anyone's wondering where Indra Ganesh is, he got separated from the others while they were fleeing from the Slitheen, and ended up running from the building. So he's alive this time. And I felt that it would be a little strange if Rose didn't get at all mad about Lyssa knowing that her mom would get attacked by the Slitheen, and this is the first time they're put in that situation.**

 **Also: Guys, if you want, I'll try to post a special Christmas chapter on Monday. I really want to, and it's got some stuff in there that I've been planning for a while!**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed (seriously, you guys are amazing!) and shout-out to V, E-man-dy-S, and Alix Winchester for reviewing!**

 _ **V: Here's another chapter for you, lol. And thanks! I've always liked the name Lyssa, so I decided to name her that! And I try to update every Saturday, so there's that for you! And thank you so much for the kind comments! I love hearing from my readers!**_

 _ **E-man-dy-S: Maybe he did, and maybe he didn't. Spoilers! :) However, just to clarify, I won't be writing any classic Who episodes, unfortunately. There are plenty of loopholes in that statement, however, so... *shrugs* Hope you like this new chapter! Thanks for reviewing!**_

 _ **Alix Winchester: Yep. The Doctor is definitely protective. And, just a tiny, slightly sad spoiler, there's a reason for that... :'( There were a few charades in this chapter... hope you liked them. And thanks for being understanding, as well as your review! I'm glad to see that you're continuing to like my chapters! (This one's a good deal longer than the last one!)**_

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: It's not mine, only Lyssa is.**


	20. Chapter 20 - Christmas Gifts

_I heard the bells on Christmas day.  
_ _Their old familiar carols play.  
_ _And wild and sweet the songs repeat_ _  
Of peace on earth, good will to men._

"I feel like a marshmallow." Lyssa's voice was muffled as she stared down at herself. Snow boots, snow pants, a thick fluffy scarf, a face mask, thick gloves, a blue parka, and a very warm blue hat covered her entire body minus her eyes. She honestly wasn't sure whether or not he would even be able to hear her, but judging by the way his green eyes crinkled with amusement, he had. The Eleventh Doctor was as protected as she was, and judging by the goggles he held in his hand, there was still more protection required.

"At least you're a pretty marshmallow." His teasing voice echoed through the earpiece he had given her earlier so they could hear what was going on through all the layers covering her head and ears as he handed her one of the pairs of goggles. "Make sure you have those fastened on securely," he instructed her, adjusting his own so that no skin was visible at all. "The temperature on this planet is so cold that any contact with your skin will instantly kill the exposed area."

Lyssa nodded. "I know, I know. This is an excellent idea for a Christmas Eve trip, by the way," she teased him. "Take us to a planet that could kill us. Though, to be fair, it seems like most planets you take us to end up trying to kill us in some form or another."

He pointed a gloved finger at her mock-warningly. "That's a bit rude. Your own home planet has its fair share of deadly temperatures, might I remind you. And I think that the beauty of this planet more than makes up for it. This is a highly sought after destination, but the natives only allow a select number of visitors at a time so that everyone who visits has a chance to see everything without all of the troubles that come with large crowds. So I scheduled a slot for us on Christmas Eve while the Ponds were visiting their family back home. I figured that since it was your first Christmas in this universe, I better make it a good one. Are you ready?"

She nodded, double checking that she was fully covered. The Doctor looked her over one last time as well before pushing open the door of the TARDIS, waiting for her to step out first. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then stepped outside; feeling snow crunch beneath her feet as she did so. She opened her eyes, drawing in a breath of excitement as she took in the splendor around her.

There were fluffy snowflakes falling on the ground, and delicate ice sculptures dotted the landscape with pine trees frosted with snow in between. The sky seemed to be in the middle of a sunset, for it was streaked with brilliant purples, pinks, and golds that lit up the snow on the ground with bright colors.

She stepped closer to a tree to examine it when a sparkling light in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning, she stumbled back when something zipped in front of her face. She stared in confusion as a spinning ball of silver light hovered in the air in front of her.

The Doctor held out a hand to calm her. "No, no, it's all right, it's just one of the natives. Give it a moment, I think she'll reveal herself soon." Lyssa tilted her head to the side curiously as the ball slowly stopped spinning and disappeared in a shower of sparkles to reveal -

"A fairy?" Lyssa gasped, staring at the creature in awe. The pixie-like figure, no more than six inches in height, was silver skinned, with blue eyes and white hair, wearing a bright white robe, and hovered in the air with delicate wings covered in snowflake designs.

"Not quite," the fairy said with a tinkling laugh. "I am sorry I frightened you," she apologized with a gentle voice. "That was not my intention. I am she who is designated Noella."

Lyssa smiled at her, though she doubted the fairy could see it beneath her face mask. "That's all right. My name is Lyssa, and that's the Doctor. Your planet is so beautiful!"

Noella's cheeks became dusted with a pale violet that Lyssa could only assume was her version of a blush. "Thank you," she chirped. "Please, feel free to look around. We who inhabit this planet believe that the works we create should be free for all to enjoy, but it is so cold that few dare come here for more than a short period of time. It is always nice to see new friends!"

The Doctor stepped forward, drawing Noella's attention. "Noella, if you recall, I visited here a few weeks ago asking about a certain project?"

"Ah, yes!" Noella nodded enthusiastically. "It was finished just last night, so you are just in time. Will your friend be coming with you?" Lyssa glanced at the Doctor, waiting on him.

He shook his head. "I think this needs to stay a secret for now." He glanced at her, and she could see the merriment in his eyes. "Besides, Lyssa's got so many secrets that it's only fair that I get to have one or two of my own."

Lyssa huffed and waved a glove at him. "Fine. Keep your secrets. I'll just wander around and look at all the sculptures until you get back."

The Doctor nodded. "All right. It shouldn't take too long, so please try and stay out of trouble."

"No promises," she retorted with a grin, watching as he set off with Noella, who covered herself with her silver ball once more as they traveled towards some gold lights glimmering in the distance. Turning her attention back to the scenery, she soon lost herself wandering between the trees, marveling at the intricate design behind each of the statues and trailing a hand through the delicate icicles hanging from the branches of the trees.

She stopped at the top of a hill, mouth falling open in awe behind her mask. A short distance beyond the bottom of the hill lay an intricate maze built out of the snow in the design of an elaborate snowflake. She could see various dark shapes that she assumed were people wandering through the maze, and she could faintly hear a triumphant whoop as someone evidently reached the center.

She grinned, recalling when Rose had done the exact same thing after beating the Ninth Doctor in a race to finish a scavenger hunt on a gaming planet earlier in the week. She had been the judge, and the pout on the Doctor's face as she declared Rose the winner had been more than enough of a prize on its own. After leaving Jackie and Mickey in London, the trio had spent a week just traveling around, the Doctor insisting that Lyssa take it easy to allow her throat to fully heal.

Of course, there had still been the usual danger when Rose accidentally insulted the king of Benthol IV and got them all sentenced to death, before once again accidentally saving his life, and then having them all being declared heroes instead. Then, of course, the king had decided that he still needed to uphold the law, and tried to behead them anyways. That had been a fun trip.

She cocked her head to the side as she hear a voice calling on the wind. Listening closely, she could tell that it was the Doctor calling her name. She opened her mouth to call back, but then closed it again, a smirk forming on her face. Bending over, she scooped some snow into her hands and began to form it into a snowball. Making another one, she hid behind a tree as the Doctor called her name once more, ensuring that the snow was trampled enough that he wouldn't be able to see her footprints leading to that tree.

"Over here, Doctor!" she called back, making sure she was still hidden behind the tree. She heard snow crunching as he began heading her way, and grinned to herself.

"Lyssa? Where are you?" he called as he got closer. "Lyssa?"

She fought back laughter as she heard him tramp past her tree, and circled around so that she was behind him. Once she judged him to be far enough away that she could flee after her attack, she leapt out from behind her tree with a war cry.

"Snowball fight!" she shouted, beaning him in the back of the head with a snowball before he whipped around to face her, only to be met in the face with another snowball that she'd made just after the first one. He just stood there for a moment, snow dripping off his goggles and face mask, and she doubled over, cackling madly. She began to back up slowly as she heard him sigh and reach up to clean off his goggles.

"You realize this means war, don't you?" he asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

She shrugged. "Only if you can catch me, slowpoke!" she jeered, turning and darting away as fast as she could in her cumbersome snow gear. She heard him laugh as he began to chase after her, and shrieked when a snowball whizzed by her ear. "Missed me!" she goaded, slipping in between trees as she ran.

"That one I meant to miss!" he retorted, bending down to gather more snow.

She took the opportunity to form a few more snowballs of her own before taking off again to keep up her advantage. It was getting a bit harder to run now, and her breath was coming in pants now, more from laughter than anything. She stumbled slightly as something smacked into her shoulder, but kept going and ignored the Doctor's triumphant shout.

Stopping and spinning suddenly, she loosed her first snowball at him, making him slow and dodge to the side, straight into her second snowball, which she had thrown the instant she saw which way he was going to dodge. Unfortunately, her own laughter meant she missed his return fire, and took a snowball of her own to the face. She swiped her goggles clean and glared at him, only to be met with a completely unrepentant Doctor holding another snowball at the ready as they engaged in a silent standoff.

Spying a hill to her left leading to an open field covered with fresh snow, she threw her remaining snowball at him as a distraction and took off, leaping forward as she reached the beginning of the curve, and began to roll down the hill, shrieking with laughter. As she tumbled down the hill, she could see the Doctor leap down after her, shouting empty threats as he fought laughter as well. However, because he ran instead of rolled, and was more focused on keeping his balance, she reached the bottom before him, and quickly got to her feet, swaying slightly with dizziness.

Shaking it off, she ran to the middle of the field and began pushing up the snow to form a hasty barrier between her and the Doctor, quickly forming more snowballs to use as ammunition against him, and began a barrage of snowballs as soon as he got within range, cheering every time she landed a hit as he began to form his own snow fort a short distance away. Using the opportunity, she hastily began to strengthen her fort, building the walls higher and beginning to enclose the sides as well.

The temporary peace was ended a moment later as the Doctor evidently decided his fort was strong enough, and began hurling his own snowballs at her, a few of them landing on her walls and sticking there.

"Thanks for strengthening my fort," she taunted him, returning the fire. "But the point of a snowball fight is to take down the enemy, not strengthen their defenses!"

"Ha! That's what you think! And if I do strengthen your defenses, then it will just make my victory all the sweeter when I take you down!" he called back. "I know all about snowball fights! Snowball fights are cool!"

She paused in her attack to give him a deadpan expression, causing him to lower his arm uncertainly to watch her. "Did you really just make that bad of a pun?"

"... I regret nothing!" he shouted, the grin obvious in his voice as he began the warfare once more.

They exchanged shots for another twenty minutes before the Doctor decided to end the fight, leaping over both forts and tackling her to the ground, twisting to make sure she landed on top of him before hitting the ground, then rolling so that she was trapped underneath him as he smashed snow into her goggles. "I win!" he shouted triumphantly, getting off of her to do a victory lap around her in the snow, his hands waving excitedly in the air.

She rolled her eyes fondly as she sat up, wiping the snow off of her face. "You cheated, is what you mean," she corrected him.

He shrugged at her. "You saw me coming. You had plenty of time to react, to get up and run away. It's not my fault if you didn't."

"Pfft. As if I had the chance to," she snorted. "You run too darn fast. Not to mention that you're stronger than me, so once you tackled me I couldn't exactly stop you. But, congratulations, you won. Let me give you your prize," she said, chucking another snowball at him.

He chuckled, leaping to the side. "I saw that coming," he crowed. Then, spotting the maze in the distance, he began to hop up and down excitedly. "Ooh! The maze! Let's go do that!" he said, seeming to forget about winning the match and extending a hand to help her up.

She giggled, taking his hand. "I saw it earlier," she admitted. "And it looks like a lot of fun! I've only been in a maze once before, at a friend's birthday party, but that was a corn maze. We had a map to follow, and I totally figured out how to lead us through so that we hit all of the bonus markers. That was fun," she remembered fondly.

"Then let's go!" he said happily, keeping her hand in his and heading towards the maze, Lyssa following eagerly behind him.

As they got closer, they could see the maze more clearly. It wasn't made out of snow like she had previously thought. Instead it was made out of a blue ice, with a gentle glow radiating from it that lit up the path as the sky darkened to a deep violet, constellations beginning to appear in the sky above. The walls seemed to be about twelve feet high, and peaks covering the wall at the entrance made it look more like a fairy castle than a maze.

"It's so gorgeous," Lyssa breathed, staring up at it, eyes wide with excitement.

The Doctor chuckled. "Absolutely. They build a new maze each year, always something winter themed, never the same design as before. They may have had a snowflake before, but it was completely different compared to this one. That's part of what makes it so special. Everything the natives create is unique."

Lyssa glanced up at him as they entered the maze, as he dropped her hand in favor of linking her arm through his. "Why do you keep calling them the natives?" she asked curiously. "Do you not know their name, or something? Because that seems a bit out of character for you, considering that you planned this trip."

He laughed and shook his head. "No, I know their name. Unfortunately, it's completely unpronounceable in the human tongue. Same for their planet. And while they're very kind people, it would be an insult to give them a different name. But, interestingly enough, they do allow people to give the planet another name so that they can distinguish between it and other planets. So everyone just calls this planet a Winter Wonderland, which is very fitting, actually. I've been to a few planets with completely wrong names. Speaking of, Greenland and Iceland were very much different from their names when they were founded as well," he rambled, as they came to a fork in the path and went left.

Lyssa chuckled, shaking her head fondly as she listened to him talk. They didn't have a map to guide them this time, but she kept her free hand on the wall at all times, as she had heard that that was a sure way to figure out a maze.

Two hours later, they finally stumbled out of the maze; breathless, laughing, and triumphant. The prize for reaching the center of the maze had been a snow globe with the trees and sculptures of the wonderland decorating the miniature landscape and snow falling permanently inside, disappearing as soon as it hit the ground. It had been created for them in a shower of sparkles by another pixie who introduced himself as Aspen. The Doctor had insisted that Lyssa keep it, claiming she needed more decorations for her room anyways.

Then they had gone ice skating on a beautiful lake, where she was somehow able to keep on her feet the entire time, and he was even able to teach her a few spins, without any sign of his usual clumsiness. By the time they finally stopped to rest on a bench, the sun had completely set and her feet were starting to hurt.

"So, did you have fun?" the Doctor asked after a while, as they stared up at the sky, watching the glimmering constellations above.

She smiled underneath her mask and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I did," she said. "Thank you for taking me here. I had a lot of fun, even if it did seem like you were spoiling me," she teased gently.

"You're welcome," he replied instantly, . "I'm glad you enjoyed it. You're my best friend, and it's your first Christmas here, so of course I'm going to spoil you. But we should probably get going soon. I have one more trip for Christmas Eve before we go to bed."

Lyssa nodded. "All right. While you go to the TARDIS, is it all right if I look around in the marketplace for a bit? I want to see what they have there, maybe see if there's something I could bu-" her nose scrunched up as she frowned. "Oh, wait. I don't have any money. Never mind."

The Doctor chuckled. "Why don't you check your pocket? I'm sure the TARDIS gave you something."

Lyssa shrugged and sat up, unzipping one of her pockets and rifling through. She pulled out a credit stick and stared at it in disbelief. "How did this get here?" she demanded. "I could swear that this is the one you gave me back on Asgard, which I know I left in my room. How- ?"

The Doctor just laughed. "It's my old girl. She has her ways. All right. You go look around, but just for a little bit, all right? There's still one more surprise." She nodded, practically hopping in her excitement as they both stood. "The market's just beyond those trees," the Doctor told her, pointing to their left. "And the TARDIS is right beyond them."

She waved goodbye eagerly and took off for the market, clutching the credit stick in her hand. Once she arrived, she looked around the market stalls in interest, seeing all kinds of different wares. The little fairy-like creatures were hovering around each one, offering different items that ranged from clothing to food to various gifts. She headed towards that section, wanting to get the Doctor a Christmas gift for the next day.

She stopped when she saw Noella hovering in front of several snow globes. "Oh! Hi!" she called, walking over.

"Lyssa! Greetings!" the fairy returned. "Would you like to purchase something?"

Lyssa nodded, holding her credit stick up. "I can use this here, right?" When Noella nodded, she bit her lip, then continued. "I want to buy a snow globe for the Doctor, but I want to get him something special. He's my best friend, and I want something that will show him how much I care about him. Do you have any ideas about something that might be good for that?"

Noella smiled at her, beckoning her behind the counter. "I believe so. And it will be something special, too. I have seen the way you two care for each other, and I can see that it is something special. I will create something just for you. Do you have a particular memory you would like me to use?"

Lyssa thought for a moment, before feeling a blush rise to her cheeks behind her mask. "We went ice skating earlier, and the Doctor showed me how to do some spins. Maybe something based off of that? Could you do something like that?"

"Of course!" Noella agreed. "I can make your figurines lifelike as well. I know what the Doctor looks like, but may I see your face?" She snapped her fingers and curtains instantly fell and enclosed the area. "It is now safe for you to remove your mask, but only temporarily. It must be brief, for it is still cold."

Lyssa nodded, removing her goggles and lowering her mask, feeling the cold bite her cheeks for the first time that day as Noella carefully inspected her face before indicating for her to put her protective gear back on. Once she was all covered up again, the fairy removed the curtains, then nodded at her. "All right. I believe I have what I need. Your hair is brown, correct?" Lyssa nodded, watching her curiously as she darted over to a bench, grabbing some materials, before a shower of silver sparkles erupted followed by several minutes of various noises, and the fairy turned around, a large globe hovering in the air next to her.

"What do you think?" Noella asked.

Lyssa took the proffered globe and held it carefully. Inside was a large, frozen lake, rimmed in the back by pine trees dusted with snow. In the middle of the lake, were two figurines, with features that matched hers and the Doctor's. Only, instead of being covered up by their bulky gear, they were wearing more colorful garments.

The Doctor wore black pants and a black shirt, while Lyssa was wearing a scarlet skater dress that made her stand out against the snow in the background. Her hair was curled, and held back by a red headband. The two of them were standing close together, their hands joined and raised as the Doctor's figure led them into a spin, snow falling gently around them.

"I love it," Lyssa breathed, staring at it in awe. "And I think he will, too! Thank you so much, it's perfect! How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching for her credit stick.

The fairy waved her off. "It is Christmas Eve, and I can see how much you two mean to each other. What you have is special. Take it as a free gift, and whatever you do, don't lose what you have with him. Not many people are that blessed."

Lyssa blushed, taking the bag the fairy offered her and placing the globe inside. "I won't. And thank you so much! I can't tell you how much I appreciate this! Have a Merry Christmas!" She called, waving as she left the stall to return to the TARDIS.

"Have a Merry Christmas!" Noella returned, smiling brightly and waving back happily as Lyssa left. "I wonder if either of them knows what they really are to each other," she mused softly as she watched the retreating figure. "And I wonder how much of the legends are true. Either way, may your paths be blessed, Lyssa, Doctor. Until we meet again."

 _Then in despair I bowed my head  
_ _"There is no peace on earth," I said.  
_ _"For hate is strong and mocks the song  
_ _Of peace on earth, good will to men."_

Lyssa grinned brightly up at the Doctor as they slipped into a pew in the back of the church, candles in hand. "I can't believe I'm really here! I've always wanted to go to a candlelight service on Christmas Eve, but I've only ever gone during the day, so I never had the chance!" She bounced up and down excitedly, the purple dress she had changed to after leaving the Winter Wonderland bouncing against her legs.

The Doctor smiled down at her, back to his suit and bow-tie. "I've heard you mention that before. That your first time at one of these was here. So as soon as I knew that you were here, and that it was Christmas Eve, I planned on heading here."

Lyssa beamed, looking around happily at the people streaming in around them and filling the pews. The Doctor had taken her back to London sometime around the Ponds' time, to one of the churches' candlelight service held shortly before midnight. She had been too excited to listen to the name of the cathedral, but just being in the presence of so many people gathering to celebrate the holiday filled her with joy. There had been too much darkness lately, and it was good to be reminded of the good that existed.

She and the Doctor stood with the rest of the congregation when the service started, and though she couldn't sing to save her life, she sang her heart out when they began with the traditional hymn, Silent Night; ignoring the Doctor's pained winces. And when the lights dimmed, and people began to light the candles, her free hand reached over to clutch the Doctor's in her excitement, not even noticing him looking down at her with a fond smile.

When they left the building forty-five minutes later, she was nearly vibrating with excitement as she hugged the Doctor. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed.

He laughed, hugging her back tightly. "If I had known it would get you this excited, I would have done this ages ago," he teased her gently, before both of them looked up as the bells of the church behind them began to peal.

"It's midnight," Lyssa breathed.

The Doctor smiled gently down at her, their faces illuminated by the light of the full moon above them. "Merry Christmas, Lyssa."

"Merry Christmas, Doctor," she returned happily.

They turned slightly, as a voice sounded in the distance, though it was hard to tell from what direction. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

 _Then rang the bells more loud and deep;  
_ _"God is not dead, nor does He sleep.  
_ _The wrong shall fail, the right prevail  
_ _With peace on earth, good will to men."_

Lyssa smiled at the Doctor as they sat on the couch in front of a roaring fire in the library on Christmas Day, wrapped presents sitting in front of each of them. "You first!" she declared, bouncing up and down in her seat as she handed him her present.

He grinned at her, before carefully beginning to unwrap his present, making sure not to tear the paper. "Lyssa! You got me a box?" he teased, looking down at the plain box he had unwrapped. Lyssa just rolled her eyes and smiled, not bothering to give him an answer. Prying open the top of the box, he reached in and lifted out a heavy object covered in tissue paper. Looking up at her curiously, she tried to hide her anticipation and gestured for him to continue.

When he pulled away the last piece of paper and revealed the globe beneath, he stopped, looking it over and lifting it up carefully, twisting it back and forth to see it from different angles.

"Do you like it?" Lyssa asked nervously. "I asked Noella to make it before I left, and she based it off of us ice skating, but if you don't like it the TARDIS could probably hide it from you so you wouldn't have to look at it anymore-"

The Doctor cut off her rambles as he leaned forward and pulled her against his chest in a tight hug. "I love it. And I'm going to put it in my room so that it can't be broken. Thank you, Lyssa. Really."

"I'm glad you like it," she smiled uncertainly, before hugging him back.

"Now it's time for your present," he grinned, releasing her, but sitting her against the back of the couch next to him so that his arm could remain over her shoulder as he handed her his present, wrapped in silver paper with a blue bow on top.

"All right, let's see what you got me," she chuckled, not bothering to save the paper as she started to tear it off. "And that's how you really unwrap a present," she informed him smartly. "You don't have to be delicate."

She ignored his snort, focusing on unwrapping her present. Her eyes went wide when she pulled off the last bit of paper to reveal a jewelry box. When she looked up at him, he gestured for her to continue, though she could detect a bit of nervousness in his expression as well.

Flipping open the jewelry box, she gasped as she saw its contents. There, nestled on the padding, lay a delicate light blue snowflake charm. It was exquisitely carved, and held a clear, dark blue gem in the center of the snowflake, and when she looked closer, she could see what looked like circles carved into the back of the gem, engraved in a lighter shade of the color.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, looking up at the Doctor. "These markings, they look almost like..." she hesitated. "Circular Gallifreyan?"

He nodded. "That essentially translates to the words, 'Trusted Friend,' in my language. It goes both ways - it means that you're my trusted friend, obviously, and that if anything were to happen, that I am your friend as well, no matter what happens. It's for your necklace, if you want it on there," he said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, Doctor," she breathed, tears filling her eyes. "Of course I want it on there! That's so sweet, I've never gotten such a meaningful present before. Thank you so much, you have no idea what it means to me! Can you help me put it on?" she asked, reaching around her neck to take off the necklace.

"Wait!" the Doctor nearly shouted suddenly, startling her. "Sorry," he apologized, seeing her jump. "But I can just add it from here. And I can make it so that it can't be removed, if you like?"

She nodded, removing her hands from her necklace and letting him take the charm out of the box. She didn't see how he could attach it without removing the necklace, but she saw him pull it out his sonic screwdriver a minute later before his hands gently touched her necklace and lifted it away from her neck slightly, and she could hear the whirring of the screwdriver a few times.

"Sorry about that. It's just... Please don't remove the necklace," he asked her softly a moment later, letting her necklace fall back to her neck. "I can't explain it right now, but..."

"It's all right," Lyssa said, placing a hand on his arm when she saw him searching for words. "I can see this is important to you, and I think it's all right to grant this. I won't take it off," she promised, her fingers rubbing over her new charm.

The Doctor smiled gratefully at her, but she could see something sad in his eyes before he banished it a moment later. "So. Want to see how it looks?" he asked, helping her stand. When she nodded eagerly, he chuckled and lead her over to a corner of the library, where a mirror that the TARDIS had provided was hanging on the wall. She stepped in front of it, hands flying to her neck. The snowflake lay nestled against her collarbone, feeling cool against her skin.

"It's been sonicked to your necklace, so it can't be pulled it off. And I had the snowflake made out of the snow from the Winter Wonderland planet. It's been treated, so it won't ever melt, and the gem is... well, let's just say that it's a special kind of ice," he grinned, coming up to stand behind her.

Lyssa started to roll her eyes, then stopped, stepping closer to the mirror. "Hold on. Are there... words carved into this snowflake? There are! The holes of the snowflake are words!" Looking down at her necklace, she lifted up the charm and held it away from her, twisting it around so that she could see it more clearly. " _True friends are never apart. Maybe in distance, but never in heart_ ," she read aloud slowly.

Blinking back tears, she turned around and hugged him, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you! I know it doesn't seem like much, but this has truly been one of the best Christmases of my life! I've never really had any close friends, and my mom never really gave me any Christmas presents besides cheap gifts, so this is really special."

He huffed out a laugh, one hand clutching her head to his chest, and the other rubbing her back comfortingly. "Well, consider this a promise charm, too. I promise that I will always, no matter what, be your true friend."

 _Til ringing, singing on its way  
_ _The world revolved from night to day.  
_ _A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,  
_ _Of peace on earth, good will to men._

* * *

 **A/N: So... who just died from a fluff overdose? *raises hand* I've been wanting to write the last part of this chapter for a very long time! There are some very special reasons why, only one of which may be obvious... I'm in it for the long haul here, guys. ;)**

 **And as far as I can remember, I've only attended one candlelight Christmas Eve service, as my family usually just goes to a service in the morning, due to family celebrations in the evening, but I remember it feeling very special and inspiring.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to MystLikesTrouble for reviewing! (** _ **Here's your Christmas chapter. Hope you like it!)**_

 **I wish you all a very blessed, Merry Christmas, and may you all have someone special to celebrate with!**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this dentist-bill-inducing chapter! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: BBC didn't give me Doctor Who for Christmas, so it's not mine. And while I've given you this chapter as a Christmas gift, Lyssa is still all mine. Merry Christmas! :)**


	21. Chapter 21 - The Darkness Waiting

When Lyssa reappeared in one of the TARDIS hallways, her hair was soaking wet, she had a towel wrapped around her shoulders, damp pajamas, and an annoyed expression on her face. Looking around her with a sigh, she wrinkled her nose with distaste.

"I suppose I should be grateful that at least I wasn't still in the shower when I jumped," she muttered. "And that I ended up on the TARDIS instead of some freezing wasteland." Raising her towel to her hair, she began to vigorously rub at it, trying to dry it with her towel as she picked a direction and began to wander down the hallway. "And I don't know where anyone is. Maybe they're on an adventure or something. Gives me more time to look presentable, I suppose." She frowned down at herself. "Now I just wish I knew why I feel so off today."

Ten minutes later, she was fairly certain that she was both several floors below where she normally went, and that she was definitely lost.

"I've never seen most of these rooms before," she murmured, trailing her hand along a door marked 'Wind Room,' from which a faint howling noise was emanating. "Hey, old girl? Do you think you could do whatever it is you do and help me out here? I'd rather not wind up wandering down here for eternity until I jump again. Not that I don't love exploring," she added hastily. "It's just that I can feel my hair drying into an unmanageable mess if I don't get a brush to it soon."

There was an amused hum from the ship before all the lights except for from one hallway shut off, indicating which path she should follow. She rolled her eyes and smiled fondly, setting off for towards the light. "Thanks. I know you were laughing at me just then, but thanks." After that, it only took a few minutes for her to find the familiar door leading to her room. She thanked the ship before pushing open the door, only for her mouth to fall open in surprise.

Instead of the creamy orange she was familiar with, her room was now a light shade of blue, accented with a silver trim, and there was a large, rectangular nook in the wall above her chair with a ladder leading up to it. It had fairy lights strung inside that gave a soft light to the small area, with soft blankets and pillows padding it and delicate white curtains tied back with ribbons on each side.

"Is that a reading nook?" she gasped with delight, dropping her towel on the floor and scrambling over to the area, clambering up the ladder and into the hollow. "It almost makes me think of Tinkerbell's bed in the book 'Peter Pan!" She felt the soft padding beneath her with glee and giggled. "It's so soft, I think I might just stay up here forever. This will be perfect for when I reread my favorite books!" She felt a cold drop of water land from her hair onto her neck and shivered. "But I should probably dry my hair first." Climbing back down the ladder, she picked up her towel and headed into the bathroom, grabbing her brush along the way.

Once her hair was brushed thoroughly and dried, she picked out a simple outfit of boots, fitted jeans, and a dark blue tunic that paired perfectly with her new charm for her necklace, which still made her smile every time she saw it. Pulling her hair up into a bun, she ran her fingers over her necklace and glanced over at her journal, which was resting on the nightstand by her bed. She had spent over an hour last night scribbling her Christmas adventures with the Eleventh Doctor and the gift he had given her, and had only jumped this morning, shortly after her shower.

"All right. I suppose I should find the Doctor, see which one I'm with now," she decided. "And maybe I can ask him what happened to my room." Shutting off her light, she headed out into the hallway, glad when she recognized the hallway as the one leading to the console room.

When she got there, she nodded in recognition at the empty room, seeing what the Eleventh Doctor had called his 'grunge phase.' "So, we're with Nine or Ten, then. Good to know. Now I just need to find out where he is, and what point we're at in the time stream." Looking over the console, she asked the TARDIS, "Is the Doctor, by any chance, still here?"

A red light flashed from a nearby bulb. "I'm gonna take that as a no, then. Wonder where he's at." She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "And I can't just go after him. I have no idea if this planet is safe for humans or not, not to mention I could get lost, and he might just leave without ever knowing I was even here." She sighed and flopped down on one of the seats, her eye catching something sticking up out of the floor. She looked over at it curiously.

There were two sets of what looked almost a stand to hold wheels in place. She frowned, trying to remember an episode something like that might have been featured in, but came up blank. The door opened behind her, and she turned to see two people absolutely soaked to the bone come stumbling in, laughing so hard they were almost tripping over each other. They both looked absolutely delighted when they saw her.

"Lyssa!" the Tenth Doctor shouted, coming over to give her a hug. She scrambled around to the other side of the console, holding her hands up as a shield.

"Nuh-uh! You're all wet, and I've just dried myself off after jumping before I could even dry my hair after my shower this morning. I have no desire to get wet again so soon. And that goes for you too, Tyler," she added, swinging around to face the blonde that had been trying to sneak up on her, backing up towards the stairs. "I mean it! You two look like drowned rats, and that's _not_ the look I was going for today."

"Aw, you're no fun," Rose pouted, adopting a hangdog look. "Just because the Doctor upset the Shrieking Fishes of Lamodix and they may have tried to drown us is no reason to push us away."

"Yeah!" the Doctor objected, coming to join Rose, a mock pout of his own appearing. "Though, it didn't exactly work very well. They marched us into the drowning pool, but it was only waist deep. Not a very efficient method, I have to say, but maybe their only criminals before now have all been veeeery short people. Or, possibly, tall people who trip and can't swim. And maybe the cat people of Sharazidan."

He grimaced. "It's not a pretty picture when they touch water. Anyways, the drowning didn't work, we escaped, and now we may or may not have also ended up engaged to some of the nobles. Still not sure how that one works, considering they tried to execute us." He frowned thoughtfully.

Lyssa took the opportunity to back up towards the stairs some more. "Well, how about you go dry off, and then we can have a nice talk, yeah? Figure out where we are? I'll give you guys five minutes to get changed, or I'll leave without you."

The Doctor's eyes landed on her neck, and she was sure he noticed the snowflake charm there when he smirked. "You're too early. You don't know how to fly her yet."

"Ah," she grinned. "But you've just confirmed that I will know how to do that in the future. Plus, I'm pretty sure that the TARDIS likes me, so she'll probably take me anywhere if I ask her nicely enough."

"Well, how about you ask her to take me to my mum," Rose interposed, wiping some of the water off of her face. "I've got some laundry that could use a washin', and it'd be good to see her again. I've got some trinkets I want to show her that I got from this market the Doctor took me to."

Lyssa frowned, the words sparking a faint memory in her mind, but dismissed them a moment later, giggling at the Doctor's look of dismay. "I'll see what I can do. You two go and change." She jerked her head towards the hallway and walked back down the steps.

"All right, all right, I'm going," the Doctor moaned, sulking towards the stairs. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." He stopped beside her and smirked suddenly. "But not without a hug from my favorite person first!" he declared, swooping her up in a hug and lifting her into the air as she shrieked for him to put her down. "Come on, Lyssa, a little water never hurt anyone," he grinned, putting her back down and gesturing for Rose to join the hug, which the blonde did with a gleeful laugh. "And the more the merrier!"

Lyssa wriggled free a moment later, escaping to the other side of the console and turning to glare at the unrepentant duo. "Thanks a lot," she groused, looking down at her now damp outfit. "I actually like this shirt."

"Meh. You'll be fine." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and waved it at her, drying up the wet spot. "There. All dried."

Rose wrinkled her nose at him. "And you couldn't do that to us?"

The Doctor shook his head. "We're too wet and dirty. Lyssa was only slightly damp. We both need showers and a change of clothing."

Rose nodded in acceptance. "All right. I suppose we could stop off at Mum's, drop off my laundry then."

Lyssa giggled at the somewhat displeased look on the Doctor's face. "Well, like I said, the TARDIS likes me, so... maybe I could get her to take us there while you guys change?"

The Doctor scowled at her. "And like _I_ said, you don't know how to fly her yet. You're too young. So don't even think about touching the console, young lady!" he pointed a finger at her threateningly, although the effect was ruined by water dripping into his face from his soaked hair.

She beamed innocently at him. "Of course not."

He frowned at her skeptically, but turned and followed a dripping Rose into the hallway. Lyssa waited for him to step out of sight before a devilish grin broke out across her face as she reached forward, one finger outstretched to touch the console.

"I said don't touch anything!" his voice came floating back, making her break down into a fit of giggles.

Once she was sure he was gone, she looked up at the ceiling of the console room. "All right. I'm not going to touch anything, but could you show me what tells us the date and location?" A panel on the console began to flash. Wandering over to it, she nodded in satisfaction. Displayed in English was their current location and the date. "Alborui Province, 05 June, 2007," she read aloud. "Huh. That's pretty neat. Where do you enter the space-time coordinates to travel?" This time she was led to a small sphere set in the console. Unfortunately, the lettering around it was completely incomprehensible.

"That must be Gallifreyan," she surmised. "I'll have to ask the Doctor about it later."

She spent the next fifteen minutes or so trying to figure out the different devices on the console by a trial and error series of questions, although most of it ended up being error. She ended up with the conclusion that at least a portion of the devices were either for show, or unnecessary to drive the TARDIS. But, considering that she was pretty sure that the Eleventh Doctor had had ketchup and mustard dispensers at one point, it seemed to be a recurring theme.

She was trying to figure out the function of the little metal ridges in the floor when the Doctor came in, hair dried and fluffed up to its usual state. "Hey, Doctor," she called, drawing his attention to where she was laying on the floor. "What're these for? I don't remember seeing them here before."

He stiffened when he saw what she was looking at, but quickly tried to play it off as nothing, striding over to the console as she regained her feet.

"Those? Nothing important," he said, though she didn't miss the way his jaw clenched as he flipped a tiny switch set near the center of the console. In a blink, they had disappeared, and the normal flooring was there. "Just something left over from a previous adventure."

She blinked. "So that's what that switch does," she muttered, looking down at the floor then back at him. It was very clearly not nothing, but if it was something that upset him that much, she wasn't sure she wanted to start what could be a very unpleasant conversation if - and that was a big if - he wanted to talk about it. Especially with the bad feeling in her stomach growing worse, like the butterflies that would normally be there had mutated into angry tornadoes, or something.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late," Rose called as she ran into the room. She was looking much more put together in a blue sweater and black slacks, a red knapsack slung over her shoulder. "Almost forgot what I wanted to show my mum." Lyssa frowned, the outfit striking a chord in her memory. She couldn't quite remember what, but she knew it was bad, very bad, and then -

"It's a bottle that can help predict the weather, Barzelum, or somethin' like that. Got it from that asteroid market. Pretty cool, right?" Rose pulled a small bottle out of her pocket and showed it to Lyssa, her tongue in between her teeth as she grinned at them both.

Lyssa gasped and staggered back, her face going pale as they both turned to look at her in concern. The asteroid market Rose had mentioned, the plan to drop off laundry at her mum's and show her the weather abilities it possessed... and her clothes, she remembered them, remembered sobbing along with Rose as she pressed against the wall in the episode she had sworn never to watch again.

Doomsday.

"Lyssa? Are you all right? You just went pale all of a sudden." The Doctor was suddenly standing in front of her, watching her in concern.

She stared up at him, mind racing a million miles a minute and yet coming up with nothing. She swallowed hard, and opened her mouth to speak, but had to try twice before she could even get anything out.

"People are going to die." The Doctor straightened at her words, but didn't say anything, letting her talk. "I - it's going to be so bad; so, so bad, and I don't think I can stop it." She drew in a shuddering breath and looked up at him, tears filling her brown eyes. "I don't think I can do anything. I feel like there's this pit, just waiting to swallow me up, and it's going to be so bad, and you're going to hate me, but I don't think I can stop this."

Her breaths were growing uneven and rapid as she began to panic. "You're going to hate me, and it's going to be all my fault." She clutched her head in her hands in an effort to maintain some modicum of control over the situation, but it did nothing.

The Doctor swiftly drew her into a hug. "Hey, hey, Lyssa, it's all right. You're gonna be all right, I could never hate you." Looking over her head as she buried it in his chest, he made eye contact with Rose, who had been watching with increasing worry, and jerked his head towards the hallway. She nodded in understanding.

"You know what, I think I left something in my room. 'M just gonna go grab it real quick," the blonde said slowly, backing up before jogging out of the room.

Once she was gone, the Doctor gently pushed Lyssa away from him, but held onto her shoulders. Leaning down slightly so he could look her in the eyes, he asked her quietly, "What's wrong? Did something we say trigger one of your memories?"

She nodded and sniffed, swiping at her nose, looking down and away from his eyes. "Yeah. I- I uh, know what's going to happen. And it's going to be horrible. So many people are going to die," she whispered. "And you're going to win, but you're going to lose while doing it."

His face tightened, but he kept his voice calm. "Lyssa, out of ten, how bad is this?"

She swallowed. "Eleven. And I want to change it, but I feel like I won't be able to." She sniffed again. "And you're gonna hate me, because I knew it was going to happen, and I just let it!"

"Hey! You don't know that," he rebuked her gently, lifting her chin and forcing her to look at him. "And I know you're still young, but there is nothing you could do that would make me hate you. Ever. And how do you know that you can't change anything? Have you tried to look, and see what would happen if you changed it? I know that you've done it at least once by this point." She shook her head shamefully. "Then how do you know that you can't change whatever it is if you haven't tried?"

She looked up at him. His face was dead serious, and he was obviously worried about the danger she had hinted at, but she could also tell that he was more worried about her, and at the same time, encouraging her to try. She took a deep breath before closing her eyes, and trying to think about what she wanted to change, focusing on that and trying to come up with a logical outcome if she were to push Rose back onto the clamp. It felt like before, on the crashing ship with Martha, appearing incredibly realistic.

Then she felt things change. She felt herself actually standing on the floor of the final battle, seeing Rose and the Doctor hanging onto their clamps that protected them as the Daleks and Cybermen were sucked into the Void, only as if through a dark lens, as everything seemed to be touched by a darkness. And she could tell immediately that she wouldn't be able to open her real eyes until she had seen what she was meant to see. She could see the Doctor, his face worn and wracked by pain, and Rose, losing her grip on the clamp.

Then, almost appearing out of nowhere, she could see herself running towards them, tugging Rose back onto the clamp and smiling in satisfaction when the blonde's grip became secure again. For a moment, everything seemed perfect.

Then, one last Dalek appeared, firing wildly as it disappeared into the Void. A stray shot hit Lyssa, and all three of them looked shocked before her body collapsed, and the real Lyssa knew instantly that she was dead. What was worse, though, was that the shot knocked her backwards and into the Void. In an instant she was gone, beyond all hope of return and leaving her heartbroken friends behind.

Time sped up, and moments began to quickly pass by. The Doctor and Rose left Earth, refusing to stay for even a moment on the planet that had caused them both so much pain. Rose grew bitter at the loss of her mother and friend, and became more reckless on their adventures, becoming injured more often, though she rarely cared. The Doctor changed as well, becoming less kind, and more willing to use whatever option would solve the problem first, instead of the most peaceful solution.

But their problems were still not over. Because they never returned to Earth, they never stopped the Racnoss or saved Donna; the fully erect shields on the TARDIS preventing her from appearing. Earth was destroyed when the Racnoss ship left the center of the planet, leaving Rose the last of her kind as well. They never met Martha or Donna, and never saved all the people and civilizations that they had before. And when the stars began to go out, a weak, dying Mickey appeared, warning that their universe was dying. Pete's universe, and all its inhabitants, including Rose's family, were already gone.

They began to be vigilantes, meting out their own form of justice on those whom they deemed deserved it. Whispers and rumors began to be spread about them. They were no longer called heroes, but murderers; the Time Lord and the girl who could summon a golden power. For Rose had changed physically as well. Golden swirls now followed her, burning her up inside, and destroying whatever she bid it to.

But that wasn't all. They were placed on wanted lists across galaxies as they sought to go back and change time, attempting to rewrite it no matter the cost to others. But each attempt failed, and with each attempt they began to lose a little of their color, their bodies growing darker as Lyssa watched in growing horror.

The Cyberman began to fear them, combining with other forces they normally would have assimilated in an effort to wipe out the growing threat, only for their forces to be wiped out themselves as the Doctor - now the Time Lord Victorious, and Rose - now almost unrecognizable as a creature of darkness - sauntered back to the TARDIS. Once capable of bringing hope to all who saw or heard it, now those who saw the peeling paint, the faded lettering, began to run and pray for mercy that would never come.

A name began to be whispered across the worlds, about who they were - what they were. A name that made even the Daleks afraid. A prophecy that the Time Lords themselves had feared.

A name that they took with pride.

Lyssa, hearing voices whispering the name that promised death in the wind that whipped around her, strained to hear. There was a dark chuckle, before the wind changed direction, seeming to pierce her to her very bone with its chill as it carried the name to her ears.

"Hybrid."

The culmination of two warrior races that would stand over the ruins of Gallifrey and unravel the Webs of Time, breaking a billion hearts to heal its own.

The few remaining races in the universe gathered their armies for a final battle, eventually succeeding in killing the Time Lord Victorious. What was left of Rose decimated their forces and a hundred galaxies in her rage before finally succumbing to the fires raging within her and burning away to nothing; leaving fires raging across galaxies; and planets, once lush and filled with life, now dead and empty.

Lyssa stared at the darkness surrounding her, trying to open her eyes and return to the Doctor, but failing, only seeing the same empty blackness each time she opened them.

"What's going on?" she called out in fright. "Why did all that happen just because I died? I'm not that important; that should never have happened!" She stared at the emptiness in horror. "This is all my fault!"

She didn't expect anyone to answer her, but she didn't jump when a melodic voice came traveling back to her anyways, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, giving her a feeling of safety and comfort even though she didn't know it.

"You are here because you are meant to be. And it happened because of who you are."

"Then who am I?" she demanded, yelling into the darkness with tears filling her eyes. "What am I, that I could be responsible for that much death and destruction?"

A golden light appeared in the distance, slowly growing closer. As it became more clear, Lyssa recognized it as the familiar gold of the Time Vortex, slowly spiraling towards her. Once it was in front of her, it floated down to the ground, then slowly spiraled upwards, revealing an ethereal being beneath.

Once the gold dust had fallen away, she could see a tall, elegant woman, clad in a sleeveless golden ball gown, with chestnut brown curls tumbling down past her waist, and blue eyes that seemed filled with the stars of the universe. A golden crown adorned her head, and from her back came streams of golden light that took on the appearance of flowing wings.

She smiled at Lyssa, such a motherly smile that she had never gotten before that she wanted to flee into her arms, but held herself back, wondering at herself.

"Because I am the keeper of time, and you are my child. You are the daughter of time," the woman informed her, voice calm and soothing.

"Wait. What?" Lyssa blinked at her confusedly.

The woman gave a tinkling laugh. "I suppose I should explain myself better. I am charged with protecting time. It is my duty. And you, dear one, are a daughter of time. You were chosen to bear this burden and so have become my child. I cannot always communicate with you as I would like to, however. Unless you are connected to the time stream, which binds us both, I cannot speak. You know me better as a blue box, perhaps." Her eyes twinkled with merriment.

Lyssa gaped at her. "You - you're the TARDIS?" When the older woman smiled, laughing again, she sputtered. "But, but, I've seen what you look like when you had a physical form, and you -"

"Were confined to the body of a poor human girl, yes," the woman - TARDIS? - reminded her. "I was trapped, and forced into a container that was never meant to hold that much power. This," she gestured down at herself, "is my true form when I wish to take it, and I am not needed in battle."

"Battle?" Lyssa cocked her head curiously.

The woman frowned the unhappy expression out of place on her lovely form. "Yes. I did not wish to add to your burden so soon, but given what you have just witnessed, I knew that I needed to act. There is a creature of darkness that wishes to undo the fabric of Time itself and rewrite it according to his wishes. What you beheld was a possible future that he wished to create. To help protect the timeline, a carrier was chosen to receive Time itself and help us protect it." She caressed Lyssa's cheek gently, placing a loose lock of hair behind her ear.

"Long ago, before your Doctor was ever born, a threat to Time itself as it should be began to appear, threatening to change it for the worst; far worse than you could ever imagine. Subtle and hidden, his attacks were rarely physical, and tended to affect the time line, changing the outcomes of various events. My sisters and I were able to quell it, for a time, but not destroy it completely. We knew he would return someday, and begin to corrupt it before we could defeat him again, so we took part of the time stream that was as of yet still pure and hid it until we could find the proper guardian.

"We looked through all the universes until we found one who was worthy to take our gift and bear our burden. You were that girl, a noble warrior who cared for others and refused to give in to her own darkness even when in pain. So we chose you to become our child, to help protect the time stream as it should be." She saw the nervous look on Lyssa's face and smiled. "You will likely not have to fight for a great while, dear one. Our foe is still weak, and you have much to learn."

"Is there anything I'm supposed to be doing?" Lyssa asked weakly, choosing to just go along with what the woman was saying. "Any specific training, or don't change certain things, or anything like that?"

The woman shook her head, waving her hand at the darkness outside them. "You will know what to do when the time comes. The time in you fights to protect you, and will go far to keep you safe. What you just saw should not have been a possible future, even if you had changed things the way you believed. However, because of our common enemy, that is now the only possible future if you save the human Rose Tyler in such a way. Rose Tyler must fall now, or she will fall later, and the Doctor and the universe with her."

"But, but why?" Lyssa protested. "Surely we're not that important."

"But you are," the woman replied simply. "Though you do not yet know the full truth, you are incredibly important to the survival of not just my Thief and your friend, but the universe. Though our foe has not yet regained his full strength, the corruption of the time stream has already begun, though it has not yet changed much. If you fall before your time, time itself will be lost, for there will be nothing with which to heal the wounds that will be left."

The woman frowned suddenly, cupping Lyssa's chin in her hand. "But I'm explaining this incompletely, I fear, and we do not have time for an extended conversation. Already your soulmate calls for you, searching you. You have been gone a long time, and he cannot see me, not yet." She smiled again at the bewildered girl.

"Do not worry about what cannot be changed. You may be unable to save your friend and mate from brief pain, but if all goes well, they will yet have the happy endings that are in store for them. Rose Tyler will not die, and you will see her again, and she you. For now, I will dull the memories of this conversation until you are ready for them. You will need all your strength and focus to get through this day. Just remember, my child. Though I cannot always be with you physically, you are loved. Trust in the Doctor. He loves you, and will look out for you."

Only smiling at Lyssa's sputtered replies to her last comment, she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead, warmth spiraling away from the spot. "Peace, child. You will remember what you need to, when you need to, and you will know what to do when the time comes. Trust yourself." She paused. "And tell the Doctor this when you see him," she added, whispering a few words into her ear, before pulling away, and starting to return to her spiral form.

"Wait! What should I call you?" Lyssa called, holding out a hand to stop her even as she began to feel herself pulled backwards.

A tinkling laugh reached her ears. "I believe you humans would call it irony. My sisters call me Tirdis. It means, 'she who watches.'" Then everything blurred, and she was gone.

Lyssa's eyes popped open with a gasp, and she swayed, suddenly feeling unsteady on her feet now that she was actually on solid ground again.

" - you don't, Lyssa!" The Doctor was shaking her slightly, stopping when he saw her looking back at him. "Lyssa! Are you with me, now?" he asked, a look of relief on his face.

She nodded, clutching his arms for balance. "Sorry I scared you. There was something I had to do first, although I don't quite remember what..." she frowned slightly, then came back to the present. "Oh, yeah. Um, first of all, I can't remember everything, which I think was deliberate. Second of all, there was something important I had to tell you."

The Doctor frowned. "Must have been her again. What'd she say? It had to be important if she reached out to you."

Lyssa nodded. "It was. I can remember that much. I don't know what it means, though. She said to tell you, 'The Oracle can see, but cannot change. Beware the Siren's lament.'"

* * *

 **A/N: Apologies if this seemed like a weird and disconnected chapter, but it is highly important to the plot later on, and needed to happen. :D**

 **Also, I had a link up to the image I used as inspiration for Tirdis, but it doesn't seem to be working. So if you want to see it, go to Google and search 'golden fairy' and go to images; it's three rows down and the fifth picture to the right.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to V, Rosealyn, and guest for reviewing! (They made for excellent Christmas presents :))  
**

 ** _V: Hahahaha, thanks! That's so sweet! I know this chapter is a bit slow, but I hope you liked it anyways... there'll be more action next week, promise!  
_**

 _ **R**_ _ **osealyn: Thanks! I'd been writing a bit of angst for my other story, and I knew I wanted to write something fluffy for Christmas before moving onto some less... happy chapters for this story. The necklace... Let's just say that there's quite a bit more to it than meets the eye... ;) Hope you like it!**_

 ** _Guest_** _: **Hahahaha, thanks! Your review was so funny! Hope you continue to like each new chapter. ;)**_

 **Anyways, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and now I'm wishing you all a very Happy New Year!**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I may have resolved to buy more copies of Doctor Who this new year, but I'm no closer to owning the actual series... *sigh***


	22. Chapter 22 - Army of Ghosts, Part 1

Lyssa's feet swung back and forth as she sat on the chair in the console room, frowning thoughtfully as she waited for the Doctor and Rose to come back. After she had delivered her cryptic - at least to her - message, the Doctor had actually staggered back a step, his eyes going wide with shock - and had she seen tears in his eyes?

She'd tried to ask him what was wrong, and what the message had meant, but he'd merely shaken his head and pulled her into a crushing hug. Then he'd pulled back, telling her she was not to leave his sight once they left the TARDIS, that everything was completely fine and she was not to worry, and had then left her alone in the room to go get their blonde friend.

So of course she worried. The bad feeling in her stomach that something was going to go very wrong that day was still present, and only growing stronger as time passed. And while she couldn't remember much of her strange conversation with someone - a golden angel? a fairy? - she knew that, for some reason, the events of today could not be changed. People who were originally going to die, were meant to die, and would die; and Rose and her family were going to end up trapped in Pete's world, with essentially only one hope of return several years in the future.

To make matters worse, she would probably jump soon after the planned events, which meant the Doctor would be alone until he either met Martha, or she jumped back with him again - and she had no idea how long of a time would pass between him meeting Donna and when he went to Martha's hospital. Really, the only reason she wasn't a quivering mass of guilt and tears was because she knew Rose would be all right again in the end.

She sighed as her thoughts turned to the cryptic message she had told the Doctor:

 _The Oracle can see, but cannot change. Beware the Siren's lament._

Cryptic as all get out, but two parts of the sentence stuck out. The Oracle was mentioned way back with the Pandorica, and she was pretty sure they had mentioned the Siren, too. The Oracle was obviously referring to her, considering what she knew. But... the Oracle could not change this? She seemed to recall the fact that she couldn't change anything this episode, or something really bad was going to happen. Okay. Part one, solved. She was a veritable genius. Now what did part two mean?

' _Beware the Siren's Lament'?_ Just what the heck was that supposed to mean? Again, the Doctor obviously knew what it meant, and judging from the way he had reacted, it was very much not a good thing.

Just... what was the Siren's Lament? She was pretty sure that the Alliance had wanted to lock up the Siren, whoever that was, in the Pandorica as well; and now there was this reference to the Siren's Lament. And considering that was a bad thing... maybe the Daleks and everybody else had wanted to lock them up because they were a legitimate threat? Or maybe they were a friend, and the Siren's Lament was a warning of bad things to come?

She huffed in frustration, winding up nowhere every time she tried to figure out what the message really meant. It had been maybe six minutes since the Doctor had left, and she'd gone over the message and various possibilities it held at least three different times. Maybe it was just a really weird inside joke, or something.

A really bad joke, considering it almost made the Doctor cry...

She snapped out of her thoughts as a noise from the hallway told her that Rose and the Doctor were coming, although they both sounded worried about something and their voices were low. She hopped up from the seat onto her feet as her two friends entered the console room, both of them looking rather subdued, although Rose was putting on a cheerful front.

"The TARDIS left me a little present," the blonde companion announced, holding up a small blue bag that looked like it would fit in her pocket. "A little note on it told me not to open it just yet. Said it was bigger on the inside, and had some stuff in it that I might want later." She strolled over to the brunette and bumped her hip with a teasing grin. "Looks like you're not the only one keeping secrets now, Lyssa. Do you know what it might be for? Filled with a bomb that explodes confetti and traps aliens from the Rancori Galaxy cause they're allergic to it? Permanent hair dye that's actually permanent?"

Her voice was teasing, but Lyssa's smile had fallen as soon as Rose had started to speak. She couldn't be positive, of course, but she was pretty sure that the bag held at least some of the personal affects Rose had acquired during her time on the TARDIS, which only confirmed what she already knew. That Rose had to leave, and the TARDIS was trying to ease the pain that was sure to come by giving her some of the mementos she cared about.

She forced a smile onto her face, aware that she had been quiet for too long and both the Doctor and Rose were watching her in concern.

"Sorry. Guess I got lost in thought," she apologized, faking a laugh, neither of her friends looking convinced. "I have an idea what might be in that bag, and if I'm right, you'll be wanting it later." She paused for a moment as a thought struck her. "Actually, could I see that? There's something I want to add to it first."

"Sure, why not?" Rose agreed, handing over the small bag after exchanging a confused with the Doctor, who only shrugged at her.

Lyssa took it, noting that it felt heavy in her hand, but not strangely so. She turned to the Doctor.

"Do you have a sheet of paper and a pen? I'm sorry to make you wait longer, but there's something I need to write first." She glanced back over at the blonde companion. "Instructions, if you will."

The Doctor shrugged, reaching into one of his bigger-on-the-inside pockets. "I don't know if I have either of those in my pocket -" he stopped, frowning in confusion as he pulled out a small notebook and pen. "Huh. The old girl must have put them there, because let me tell you, I do not remember them being there this morning," he commented, handing the items over to Lyssa.

She smirked, sitting back down on the seat and opening the book to the first page, beginning to scribble something. "I told you. She likes me."

She ignored the Doctor's muttered, "Not like that's a surprise," in favor of writing a quick letter to Rose. Nothing too long, just an apology that she couldn't change things, and a promise that they would meet again some day.

 _'It'll be a few years before you see me again,'_ she wrote. _'But we will see each other again if I jump to that particular event. Don't give up, and don't give in. Keep being the amazing person I know you are, and show that world just how powerful a Tyler can be when she sets her mind to it.'_

She regretted that she still didn't know the blonde that well, having only met her a few times, but she knew that they were close friends in her future from the way Rose treated her, and so she signed it _'Love, Lyssa,'_ before folding up the paper and placing it in the bag, which opened easily for her. She caught a glimpse of multiple items in the bag before she sealed it, none of which should have fit, including some pictures of the three of them, and couldn't help a small smile. She handed the bag back to Rose, who stuffed it into her pocket.

"Sorry about the wait," she added. "But I needed to put that in there." Leaving the pen and paper on the seat, she stood up and took her place at the console. "We can go now."

The Doctor eyed her uncertainly, his hand on the lever that would bring them to Jackie's flat or somewhere thereabouts depending on his driving skills. "Are you sure you're ready? We don't have to go now."

Lyssa shook her head, but shot him a grateful smile. "No. Something tells me that it has to be today. We can't put it off."

"If you're sure," the Doctor agreed reluctantly, pushing the lever. The TARDIS seemed to have an extra hand in driving, as the trip was smooth for once, although the distinctive wheezes and groans were as present as ever.

The mood of the inhabitants, however, was a bit more solemn. The Doctor's face was grim as he adjusted the controls, and Rose fiddled nervously with the end of her sleeves, picking at a loose thread. Lyssa sighed, knowing this was technically her fault for the way she had been acting.

Biting her lip nervously, she came to a decision. "All right guys," she announced over the sound of the rotor, drawing their attention to her. "Yes, something bad is going to happen. But something bad always happens, and that's just life. And if we lived our lives just waiting for the bad stuff to happen, we'd never get anything done. So why don't we act a little happier? We're going to see Jackie, and I know the Doctor loves seeing her so much," she said with an emphasis on the last two words, shooting a teasing grin at the Doctor that was only partially forced.

The Doctor's immediate protest was cut off halfway through as he warily eyed a smirking Rose, who was looking at him with both eyebrows raised warningly. The sound of his mouth shutting with a clop was enough to make the two girls break down laughing, and eventually the Doctor joined them; breaking the solemn mood that had fallen over the three of them.

"We're there," the Doctor announced suddenly, flipping the lever back.

"And much smoother than usual, too. Were you really that eager to see my mum, Doctor?" Rose teased him, eyes dancing with merriment. "Or worried she would slap you again if I showed up looking like I'd gone through a tornado with my hair all out of place?"

He snorted, but didn't otherwise deign to grace her with a response, only pushing open the doors and waiting for the two girls to step through. Once Lyssa was outside, the Doctor shut the door securely behind them, then threaded the fingers of his left hand into Lyssa's right. When she glanced up at him curiously, fighting a blush, he met her gaze evenly.

"I meant what I said earlier, fairy-girl," he informed her, keeping his voice low so that Rose, who was ahead of them by a short ways, wouldn't be able to overhear them. "I don't want you leaving my sight while we're outside the TARDIS or Jackie's flat." He refused to explain further, then sped up slightly, pulling her along with him so that they could catch up with Rose, who was waiting for them for them by a playground.

Rose seemed to have forgotten about the earlier solemn mood in the TARDIS, and Lyssa preferred to keep it that way. She wanted Rose to remember at least part of the day with smiles, even if the rest of it would be better off forgotten. So she forced a smirk onto her face as they approached the blonde, willing it to reach her eyes.

"Come on, slowpokes," Rose teased with her tongue in between her teeth. "One would almost think that you don't want to see my mum again."

The Doctor heaved a sigh of long-suffering, rubbing his free hand over his face as they headed towards Jackie's flat. "Why me?" he asked of no one in particular. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Well, you did technically kidnap Jackie's daughter by mistake," Lyssa reminded him, a real smile beginning to work its way onto her face. "And not return her until she was a year late."

The Doctor hastily shushed her. "We don't talk about that," he scolded her. "And besides, that was only one time. _One_ time."

Rose scoffed. "Yeah, cos you've never done anythin' else that might warrant a punishment of some sort." A devilish smirk crept onto her face as she raised her eyebrows at him. "Cause I seem to recall someone takin' all the bananas from the kitchen before me or Lyssa could get one. And you don't even need to eat as often as we do!"

The Doctor shrugged unrepentantly. "Bananas are good. You humans simply don't know how to appreciate them appropriately."

"Uh-huh," Lyssa said, unconvinced. "Sure. Blame it on the fact that you're a Time Lord, not that you're just obsessed with bananas." She snorted as she looked over at a grinning Rose. "If he had to choose between saving me from aliens or something like that, or saving bananas from worldwide destruction, he'd probably go for the bananas."

"No, I wouldn't!" the Doctor defended himself immediately. "I have banana trees in one of the gardens in the TARDIS. The Earth-grown ones just taste better. That's why I tend to prefer those. So of course I would go after Lyssa first. She's pretty high on my 'save' list, after all. Right after bananas."

"My hero," Lyssa said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I feel so much more secure now, knowing that only bananas top me on the 'save from total destruction' list. At least tell me you put Rose above pears?"

The Doctor gasped in mock offense. "Fairy-girl! I am offended you would even have to ask me that! Pears aren't even on the list. In fact, and I'm not saying this is true, mind you, but I may have been the reason that pears are no longer allowed on British spaceships after the year 3 billion/Delta/5.4." He smirked. "I'm actually rather proud of that one, to be honest."

"Of course you are," Rose remarked, not even bothering to roll her eyes as she tugged her knapsack up a little higher. "And we all know that my mum's at the top of that list, right above bananas. Now let's get going a little faster, yeah? We're almost there." She only laughed at the Doctor's affronted sputtering as she led them towards her mother's flat.

Lyssa, looking around at the empty world around them that seemed void of life as they entered the building, felt a sudden chill descend on her, and she shivered. The Doctor looked down at her, quirking an eyebrow in question, but she only shook her head. She was just being silly.

It was perfectly normal for the courtyard of a cheap apartment to be empty; people were probably at work or school, and they had seen plenty of people on her way to the flat. It just felt... off. Gloomy. Foreboding, maybe, was the word, considering what she knew was going to happen.

"Mum, it's us! We're ba-ack!" Rose called out, pushing open one of the doors in the middle of the hallway just as Jackie came bustling into the room.

"Oh, I don't know why you even bother to have a phone, you never bother to use it," the older woman complained, the pleased expression on her face belying her grumbling.

"Oh, shut up. Come here," Rose exclaimed with a grin, throwing her arms around her mother, who returned the embrace wholeheartedly.

"Oh, I love you!" Jackie declared, holding her daughter tight.

"And I love you," Rose retorted with a grin.

Lyssa leaned against the Doctor's arm slightly as she watched the happy family, feeling not jealous, exactly, just... wistful. The Doctor looked down at her and frowned thoughtfully, before releasing her fingers so that he could place his arm around her shoulders and tug her into him for a side hug. She didn't complain or question the contact, only snuggling further into his side for the comfort she was going to need today.

The Doctor tried to ease them past Jackie and Rose as they continued their embrace, but Jackie spotted them before they could get too far.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jackie declared, tugging the Doctor free and into her arms. "Come here!" She ignored his weak protests and planted a kiss on his cheek with a smack. "Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine!" His continued protests did nothing to persuade her to leave him be, and she planted another kiss on his other cheek before Lyssa's cackles distracted her. "Lyssa! You're here, too!" she cried happily, pulling the brunette into a warm embrace that the girl immediately melted into, enjoying the motherly embrace even though she had technically never met the older Tyler woman.

She met the Doctor's eyes over Jackie's shoulder, and could only laugh at his disgruntled expression as he swiped at his cheeks, then stuck his tongue out at her as he noticed her humor.

"It's always good to see you again, Lyssa," Jackie told her, pulling back from the hug. "You're always welcome here, and so's he." She noticed Lyssa tilting her head at her and smiled. "Even if you've never met me before, Lyssa, I've met you. And don't bother asking how I know. It's a long answer, and I don't think either of your friends are willing to wait around for it. Impatient, they are."

Lyssa nodded shyly, smiling back at the older woman. "It's nice to meet you, at least, Jackie." She eyed the Doctor and smirked. "I've heard a lot about you." She bit back laughter when he only glared at her.

Rose's mother beamed at her. "Of course, sweetheart! It's nice to meet you too, even if I've already known you for a while now. Now, we'd better get a move on. Rose's already moved on without us."

Noticing that Rose had left the entryway, they followed Jackie into the sitting room, where they found the young blonde waiting for them.

"I've got loads of washing for ya!" Rose announced, slipping her red knapsack off her back and dumping it in her mother's arms. "And, I got you this!" She pulled out the tiny ornate bottle she had shown Lyssa before and showed it to her mother with a wide grin. "It's from a market on this asteroid bazaar. It's called... um..." She turned back to the Doctor. "What's it called again?"

"Bezoolium," he reminded her with a grin, entwining his fingers with Lyssa's again.

Lyssa frowned, but made no comment. Apparently her message had spooked him enough that he was going into one of his overprotective fits he got about her occasionally - well, more overprotective than normal, anyways. She didn't really know why he was so inclined to be that way, but supposed that if she really had been his friend for a very long time - longer than Rose had been around, according to Nine - then he probably connected her with something good after the Time War. And he probably just didn't want to lose that.

That, and her seeming attraction to almost getting killed every jump probably scared him a bit, too.

When she focused on the conversation again, Rose was informing her mother of the many wondrous qualities of the bottle. "- When it's hot, it's gonna be sunny! You can use it to tell the weather!"

Jackie smiled at her daughter, but changed the subject to one she was clearly bursting to tell them about. "I've got a surprise for you and all!" she told them gleefully.

"Oh, I get her bezoolium, she doesn't even say thanks!" Rose complained to the others halfheartedly. Lyssa bit back a grin, wondering what the surprise was.

"Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time, he'll be here at ten past! Who do you think he is?" Lyssa stiffened, suddenly realizing who Jackie was talking about. The Doctor glanced down at her, but didn't say anything, returning his gaze to Jackie.

"Oh, I don't know. Who?" Rose refused to guess.

"Go on, guess!" Jackie urged, still beaming happily.

"No, I hate guessing. Just go on, tell me," Rose returned, shaking her head with an amused smile.

Jackie was practically bouncing up and down she was so excited. "It's your grandad. Grandad Prentice. He's on his way. Any minute!" Rose stared at her like she'd lost her mind. Lyssa swallowed hard, but tried to keep her face neutral. And the Doctor, being the only one without any inside information, didn't really see the news as being that strange at all. "Right. Cup of tea!" Jackie decided, bustling off into the kitchen when it became apparent that no one was going to talk.

"She's gone mad," Rose stated abruptly, staring off after her mum.

"Tell me something new," the Doctor retorted, also staring after Jackie.

Rose shook her head. "Grandad Prentice, that's her dad. But he died like, ten years ago. Oh my gosh. She's lost it." She stepped into the kitchen, Lyssa and the Doctor, who was now looking much more concerned, following her. "Mum?" When Jackie looked up at her, she swallowed hard before continuing. "What you just said about Grandad..."

"Any second now!" Jackie informed her, looking so happy about it Lyssa almost wished they didn't have to hurt her with the news.

"But Mum..." Rose reminded her gently. "He passed away. His heart gave out. Do you remember that?"

"Course I do!" Jackie said immediately, her tone still light. "I'm not that old!" she added with a wink and a grin in their direction.

Rose blinked at her, trying to figure out the correlation. "Then... how can he come back?" she demanded.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Jackie told her, checking her watch. "Ten past. Here he comes."

All three of them froze as, right before their eyes, a tall humanoid figure stepped out of nowhere into the middle of the kitchen. It was featureless, and seemed almost outlined in a shimmery silver. Rose and the Doctor stared at it in shock as it came to stand by Jackie, but Lyssa felt her heart almost come to a complete stop as she stared at one of her worst nightmares standing next to one of her friend's mom, the Doctor's grip on her hand tightening almost imperceptibly.

"Here we are, then!" Jackie said proudly, standing next to the shape with no fear at all in her expression. "Dad... say hello to Rose. Ain't she grown?"

The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand with his other hand, spun around, and began to run out of the flat. Once she knew what they were doing, Rose dropped his hand and fell behind him slightly so there would be enough room for them to run, Lyssa doing the same; although the Doctor refused to let go of her hand. They reached the bottom floor and burst out of a side door into the outside at a run, coming to a halt as they took in the sight.

The ghostly figures were everywhere, standing around like any ordinary flesh and blood person would do. No one seemed to be even remotely alarmed by their presence, and it looked like some of the children even tried to incorporate them into their ballgames. Lyssa felt her heart jump into her throat and clamped her lips shut, wanting to scream at the ghosts to get far away from the children.

Rose turned to look around them, then her eyes widened even further. "Lyssa, look out!" she tried to warn the girl, just a second too late.

Lyssa turned right as one of the ghosts walked straight through her. Her blood seemed to freeze in her veins, literally freezing her on the spot as ice slowly spread through her, her lungs refusing to take in air as cold washed over them. The feeling slowly began to dissipate as the ghost passed through and continued walking, never stopping, but she still couldn't move.

The feeling of being trapped was too much. She'd always feared the Cybermen the most out of all the monsters in the show, and to come so close to being trapped inside one of them scared her more than anything she'd seen so far. To become one of them was literally one of her worst nightmares.

"Lyssa! Are you all right? Lyssa? Can you hear me?"

She gasped suddenly, feeling sweet, reviving air come rushing into her lungs right as the ice seemed to melt away. She blinked rapidly, bringing a blurry Doctor into focus, both his hands on her shoulders and shaking her slightly. He looked incredibly worried, and Rose, standing behind him next to her mother - who must have joined them - looked the same.

"That's not a normal reaction," Jackie said, concerned. "Typically there's a bit of discomfort, but it's normally harmless."

"Does this look harmless?" the Doctor practically snarled over his shoulder before focusing all his attention back on Lyssa. "Lyssa? Lyssa, are you all right?"

She drew in another shuddering breath, trying to keep tears from coming into her eyes, but evidently failing by the stinging in her eyes. "I- I'm all right," she stammered. "But that - that was horrible. Pl-please don't make -" She didn't even really know what she was saying, but she practically collapsed into the Doctor with a sob when he pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her. She buried her head into his chest, trying to focus on the steady beating of his hearts rather than the cold emptiness that had surrounded her just a few moments ago.

After a few deep breaths, she started to calm down, feeling a bit ashamed of herself for her overreaction. "Sorry guys," she said, her voice muffled by his chest. "I don't - it wasn't that bad. I just overreacted. It just - scared me, that's all. I couldn't move, and it felt like I couldn't breathe, and it scared me. That's all."

The Doctor rubbed her back soothingly, one hand resting at the base of her head. "It wasn't your fault. One of those... things... walked right through you. Anyone would have reacted the same."

"Actually... that's a bit different. No one's ever had that kind of reaction before," Jackie mentioned hesitantly. "It just feels a bit cold, that's all."

"What did you feel, Lyssa?" Rose asked her, still looking rather worried.

Lyssa shuddered, feeling the Doctor's arms tighten around her at the movement. "I swear I almost felt my heart stop beating. I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't move. It felt so... so cold, and empty." She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm fine. We should probably focus on the ghosts before they fade."

"Fade? What?" the Doctor looked down at her in confusion.

"They haven't got long. Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade," Jackie informed him. "Are you sure you're all right, Lyssa? I don't know why it affected you like that."

Lyssa reluctantly pulled away from the Doctor's chest, although he just wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kept her close anyways. She didn't complain, still feeling spooked after her literal brush with a ghost, but couldn't help the heat in her cheeks. She didn't recall this Doctor being so free with his hugs - she thought that was more of Eleven's thing.

"I'm fine now, Jackie. It just spooked me, that's all." She smiled weakly at the concerned woman, who smiled back at her, though still obviously concerned.

"Wait. Shift?" the Doctor questioned. "What do you mean, shift? Since when did ghosts have shifts? Since when did shifts have ghosts? What's going on?"

"Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Jackie asked the others, her grin growing wider.

The Doctor slowly turned around, staring at all the people who were treating the ghosts like they were an everyday occurrence. "But no one's running, or screaming, or freaking out!" he protested.

"Why should we?" Jackie asked. "Aside from Lyssa, no one's really ever had a negative reaction to the ghosts like that, and they haven't hurt us at all neither." She checked her watch. "Here we go. Twelve minutes past." She smiled at her daughter as all the ghosts simultaneously disappeared. Lyssa shivered again as she felt a surge of ridiculous relief rush through her, knowing that the ghosts were only temporarily gone.

The Doctor frowned, obviously not taking the situation as lightly as Jackie was, then turned to the older woman. "Jackie..."

"Hey, Doctor. Why don't we check the telly? Like with the Slitheen, yeah?" Rose suggested. "We'll probably find out more that way."

The Doctor glared at their surroundings in confusion one more time before following the Tylers back to their flat where they all piled in front of the TV. Jackie sat on the sofa, Rose on the arm next to her, and Lyssa sat down on the floor next to the Doctor as they flipped through the various channels.

Lyssa grew more and more uncomfortable with each new channel, as did the Doctor. Almost every channel had some reference to the ghosts, from the weather channel predicting a heavy surge of ghosts, to the channel where a woman declared her love for a ghost. After seeing three Japanese girls wearing shirts with ghosts on them, the Doctor gave up and buried his face in his hands, seeming to be too baffled to deal with it.

"It's all over the world," he groaned, flipping the channel again to Eastenders, where a woman was standing behind a bar and yelling at a ghost.

" _Listen to me, Denn Watts. I don't care if you have come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me, get out_!" The woman shouted.

The Doctor groaned again and shut off the TV, turning to Jackie. "When did all this start?" he asked.

"Well, first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down to check it out," Jackie began.

"No, I mean, worldwide," the Doctor tried again, making Rose smirk.

"Oh! That was about two months ago," Jackie said complacently. "Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were, ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and all that, whole planet was panicking... no sign of you, thank you very much... then it sort of sank in. Took us time to realize that... we're lucky."

"What makes you think it's Grandad?" Rose asked her mother curiously, still perched on the armrest.

"Just feels like him. There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?" Jackie encouraged her.

Rose shook her head regretfully. "I wish I could, mum, but I can't," she told her gently.

"You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it, sweetheart," Jackie said.

The Doctor perked up at that, something seeming to connect in his head. "The more you want it, the stronger it gets?"

"Sort of, yeah," Jackie shrugged.

"Like a psychic link," the Doctor realized. "Course you want your old dad to be alive, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in."

"You're spoiling it," Jackie told him tearfully.

The Doctor's face filled with sympathy. Much as he professed his dislike for Jackie, he didn't want to hurt her like his news was bound to. "I'm sorry, Jackie, but there's no smell, no cigarettes. Just a memory."

"But if they're not ghosts, then what are they, then?" Rose asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah, but they're human!" Jackie protested. "You can see them, they look all human!"

"She's got a point," Rose admitted. "I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people."

The Doctor frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe not. They're pressing themselves into the surface of this world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot." He stood and offered a hand to Lyssa. "Lyssa? What do you think about all this?"

She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of something to say that might help without giving it all away. "Jackie's not completely wrong when she says that they look like people, but she's not exactly right, either."

"What are they, then?" Jackie asked.

Lyssa frowned at them. "Take a look at the sheer number of them. These ghosts are everywhere. It's an army of ghosts."

* * *

 **A/N: So... this episode is here now... it kind of needed to happen plot-wise, but otherwise I apologize for any feels that it may evoke (I personally haven't rewatched it since I first saw it... many tears were shed that day...) :/ I hope you all had a spectacular start to the new year, and I hope you're all staying warm! (We've reached -50F in terms of windchill, so it's looking like we'll have a pretty cool year so far...;))**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed (we're now at over 100 favorites, and 160+ follows! *Throws party that is very small because I have no social life* Thank you all so much!) and shout-out to V and Alix Winchester for reviewing!  
**

 ** _V: Hahahaha, this made me laugh so much. Your review was so encouraging, and I really appreciate that. :) I hope you like where this story goes, because I have a ton more planned for this. Thanks for reviewing! :)  
_**

 ** _Alix Winchester: Hahahahaha, well, here's more... I don't know if this is what you were looking for or not, though... answers will come in due time, however... (most likely along with more questions, because I'm special like that, lol) Thanks for reviewing!_  
**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, only Lyssa, and all the plot twists which probably aren't that surprising... except for the big one, which no one seems to have grasped yet...**


	23. Chapter 23 - Army of Ghosts, Part 2

Lyssa sighed as she once again waited on the TARDIS seat, swinging her feet back and forth in boredom. The Doctor was literally buried underneath the console, doing... something, and Rose was grabbing something from outside. She hadn't exactly been paying attention, so she didn't actually know what it was.

"Are you done yet?" she called impatiently towards the wriggling feet that was all that was visible peeking out from underneath the console.

"You can't rush greatness, fairy-girl," his muffled voice came floating back to her.

She smirked. "I know. That's why I'm telling you to hurry up."

There was a muffled clang. "Ouch. That hurts, fairy-girl. That genuinely hurts my feelings. I'm wounded now."

"Meh." She shrugged. "You're the one with the medical title, you can be the one to treat it."

The Doctor was saved from having to reply when the TARDIS door pushed open and Rose strolled in, a newspaper in front of her face.

"According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds." She peered down at the wiggling feet. "Now don't tell me you're gonna sit back and do nothing."

He suddenly popped up from underneath the console as music poured from hidden speakers, bopping insanely to the beat, holding yet another odd-looking contraption in his hand, and wearing a rucksack on his back.

"Who you gonna call?" he rapped, wearing a wide grin.

"Ghostbusters!" Rose cheered.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts," he sneered, extending a hand to help Lyssa up.

She rolled her eyes but accepted the help, trying to mash the silent, ' _but I am_ ,' that kept running through her head.

Leading the way out of the TARDIS, the Doctor led them over to the playground where Jackie was waiting for them. "When's the next shift?" he asked casually, arranging three traffic cones into a triangle shape.

Jackie frowned and checked her watch. "Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot for?"

"Causing trouble," Lyssa smirked.

"Triangulates their point of origin," the Doctor corrected her, shooting her a dirty look.

"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose offered thoughtfully. "I mean, it kind of seems like they're trying to get through, ya know? Maybe they're just takin' a less violent route this time."

"Nah," the Doctor responded dismissively, Rose shaking her head at him as if she were expecting the answer. "They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper." His eyes met Lyssa's. "Like a boot over an anthill."

"You're always doing this," Jackie complained crossly, folding her arms together as she watched them stubbornly. "Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real?" The Doctor ignored her, focusing on setting up his stand. "Just think of it, though... all the people we've lost, our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?"

The Doctor paused, looking at Lyssa, who just pursed her lips and looked away unhappily before his eyes met Jackie's for the first time since he had started. "I think it's horrific," he said softly, before turning back to his work and ignoring the look of mild shock on Jackie's face once again. "Give me a hand, would you, Rose?" he asked the blonde. He started unwinding a cable, leading it through to the TARDIS, the others following him, and Jackie slipping into the TARDIS behind them, shutting the door behind her.

The Doctor plugged the cable into the console, before turning around to Lyssa and Rose and beginning to explain what he was doing at breakneck speed. "I know Lyssa knows the gist of what's going to happen, but not everything, why I still don't know, and she _still_ won't tell me. Anyways, she probably doesn't know this part, so I'll just explain it to the both of you. As soon as it becomes activated, if that line -" he pointed to a small dial on the console - "goes into the red, press that button below it. If it doesn't stop..."

He waved the sonic screwdriver under Rose's nose, making her go cross-eyed trying to look at it. "Setting 15B, hold it against the port for eight seconds, and stop."

"15B, eight seconds," Rose repeated.

The Doctor nodded in confirmation. "And if it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left."

"Hang on a minute, I know this one," Rose said, leaning over the console and pointing to a button. "It's that one," she said confidently, a grin on her face.

"Mmm, close," the Doctor told her condescendingly.

"That one?" Rose tried again, less confidently than before.

"Aaaaaand now, you've just killed us," the Doctor deadpanned. Rose giggled as Lyssa pushed herself off of the wall and examined the button Rose had suggested.

"Really?" she asked skeptically. "I thought that was the button that dumped all the overhead fluid into the console room if you pushed it." At their strange looks, she just shrugged nonchalantly. "What? I had some time to spare while I was waiting for the two of you this morning, so I asked the TARDIS to help me figure out how some of the gears on the console work. Don't exactly remember _why_ I needed to know that one, but..." She shrugged again. "Why do you even have a button that kills us all, anyways?"

The Doctor snorted, strolling over to her and slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Lyssa, that's not the irrigation button. _That's_ the irrigation button," he corrected her, pointing to a smaller button close by. "The one Rose suggested would remove all the air from the room. So, technically, while it wouldn't kill me right away, it would eventually, and you lot would be dead too. So let's avoid pressing that one, yeah?"

Lyssa fixed him with a questioning gaze. "Dare I ask why you have that button, considering you need at least some version of our air to breathe?"

He grinned at her and shrugged. "It wouldn't exactly kill us if she pressed it accidentally. There's a code you have to input to release it. It's a safety mechanism for if there were ever intruders, or something like that. Anyways, what've we got? Two minutes to the next shift?" he asked, directing it to Jackie, who checked her watched and nodded. He grinned.

"All right. Brilliant. Rose, you stay here and keep an eye on that," he pointed at the console, handing her his sonic screwdriver. "Lyssa, you come with me. But keep an eye out for the ghosts when they appear. We don't want a repeat of earlier."

She nodded, a shiver coursing through her at the memory of being unable to move, or even breathe. "No arguments from me there. But then, why don't you just have me stay in the TARDIS? There probably wouldn't be any ghosts in there."

At least, she really hoped not. She really didn't want to know what would happen if a Cyberman got control of the TARDIS. The TARDIS would already be virtually cannibalized once the Master got ahold of it - another episode she really didn't want to see. Of course, knowing her luck, she'd jump right into his arms after this.

"Lyssa? Anyone in there?" She jumped when a hand suddenly appeared in front of her face.

"Sorry," she blushed, ignoring the Doctor's questioning look. "Let's just go, yeah? Make sure it's all ready to go?" He raised an eyebrow, but nodded, pushing open the TARDIS door and leaving it open as they walked back to where he had set up all their equipment.

He pointed to a spot in front of the three cones he had set up. "Wait there, please, so I can see you, and don't go wandering off again?"

She rolled her eyes as she made sure she was planted directly in his line of vision, crossing her arms and huffing dramatically. "All right. What's wrong?" she demanded. "You're not normally this overprotective. Protective, yes, but not to this degree. So what's wrong?" she asked, punctuating each word with a poke as her brown eyes met his.

He sighed, running a hand through his tangled hair and only serving to make it even messier. "It's... complicated."

"The death knell of many a relationship," she mused, making sure she kept her eyes on him. "But we're not exactly in a romantic relationship-" she ignored the way her cheeks burned at the words - "And so I don't think you're looking for a way to break up with me." She paused and raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not, are you? Because that would be _really_ awkward the next time I jumped here." She only grinned at the glare he shot her, glad he seemed to be less focused on whatever was stressing him out.

"No, I'm not breaking up with you," he spluttered. "Why would you - we're not - No!" He pouted when she only started laughing, before sighing and fixing him with her gaze once again.

"So, now that we've determined that you're not breaking up with me, your not-girlfriend, what's _actually_ wrong?"

He seemed to tense for a moment before giving in, his shoulders drooping. "Hang on," he muttered, grabbing the contraption he had brought out of the TARDIS earlier and pressing it on top of the cones one at a time. "What's the line doing?" he yelled to Rose.

There was a pause, then she yelled back, "It's all right, it's holding."

The Doctor nodded in satisfaction then knelt in front of the device, fiddling with the various knobs and ends on it. "Nothing's... wrong, per se," he told Lyssa, who, despite refusing to let him get away with being overprotective for no real reason - let's just ignore her minor breakdown earlier this morning - had edged into his line of vision once she saw how he had tensed once he could no longer see her.

"But that message that you gave me..." He sighed, his head dropping for a moment before he turned back to his task. "There's a hidden message in there, a sign that something bad is going to happen, most likely to you." He stood up and gripped her shoulders, looking into her eyes seriously. "Something really bad. And you..." He sighed, then his eyes dropped to her necklace and her new charm that lay there. "You're still young, but you have that gem now, you know that you're my best friend. You're the only one I have left after the war."

Lyssa felt her face fall as her hands reached up to clutch his, still on top of her shoulders. "I know. I don't know why I am, but I know. And you're mine. I hate that you're left alone like this, but I'll be here as long as I'm able. And you don't know for certain that something really bad is going to happen to me. Something bad will definitely happen, yes, but not necessarily to me."

She frowned as she tried to remember what she had gleaned from her earlier search. "Actually, I think that might happen if I try and change things. And as much as I want to, I don't plan on changing anything."

She sighed and released her grip on him as his hands slowly slid off her shoulders, although he didn't look very relieved, just more resigned than anything. "I know you're still going to worry about me, I worry about you, too. Just... try and stay calm if I happen to step out of your line of sight, yeah?" she prodded him gently. "I don't plan on disappearing on you anytime soon."

"You better not," he said, shooting a grin at her. It was weak, but he seemed to be marginally less worried after that, so she counted it as a win as he turned back to the dial. After a moment, he brightened, turning his head towards the TARDIS. "How're things looking in there, Rose?" he called.

"I think it's workin'," she called back a moment later. "It says Delta one-six."

He grinned, this time much brighter than before, and faced the center of the three cones. "Come on, you beauty!" He urged. "Come on!" He threw back his head and laughed, practically vibrating with excitement, Lyssa starting to laugh just by getting caught up in his merriment.

As they watched, a ghost slowly started to materialize in the center of the three cones. Lyssa's smile faded as she slid behind the Doctor ever so slightly. He reached back a hand and gripped hers reassuringly, though he kept his eyes on the ghost. A blue stream of electricity suddenly appeared from the three cones, arcing together and forming a transparent blue pyramid around the ghost.

Keeping his free hand in Lyssa's, the Doctor reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a pair of 3-D glasses and slid them on, examining the ghost with a curious expression before releasing her hand to bend down and adjust something on the equipment, causing a green light to blip. He frowned curiously, continuing to adjust the knob, making the ghost shudder and emit a groaning noise.

The Doctor only laughed at that. "Don't like that much, do you?" He muttered the next part under his breath, only Lyssa able to hear as she crouched beside him. "Who are you? Where are you coming from?" He stumbled backwards into Lyssa as the ghost seemed to send a burst of electricity towards him, shocking him. "Whoa! That's more like it," he crowed triumphantly. "Not so friendly now, are you?" He leaned forward. "But I already knew that. The real question is, why are you here?"

The ghost didn't respond, only continuing to shudder and jerk before finally fading completely. The Doctor reacted instantly, darting forward to gather up all of his equipment, Lyssa hurrying to help him as they carried it all into the TARDIS and slammed the door behind him. The Doctor grinned as they dumped all the equipment off to the side.

"I said so!" he declared excitedly. "Those ghosts have been forced into existence for one specific point! And I can track down the source. Allons-y!" he shouted, throwing his coat over the railing. Lyssa swallowed hard, realizing what that meant. He was going straight to the source. And that meant only one thing.

Torchwood.

She didn't bother to grab anything as the Doctor reached for the de-materialization lever, trying not to panic as the TARDIS began to shudder, sending the Doctor and Rose into the seat off to one side as they laughed, and her to the ground. She felt her breaths began to increase as the motor began to wheeze and the rotor began to rise and fall.

She forced her shaking hands up to her head, where they dug through her hair into her head as she tried to calm her breathing. Torchwood. She had nothing pleasant to associate with the place, and she knew that its current leader, Yavonne or something like that, had no qualms about breaking any laws as long as it furthered her "duty for queen and country." A duty that, apparently, did not take into account the people of said country.

And if she was willing to take the Doctor, and the TARDIS, who knew what they would do to her - a freak who could jump through time without a capsule? Someone who might not even be fully human anymore? She dreaded to think of what they might do if they found out about her - and they probably already had, considering they knew about the Doctor, and she had apparently been around with him for quite a while. She whimpered and clutched her head a little bit tighter.

"Lyssa?" Two hands gently reached up around hers and pulled them away from her head. "Lyssa, it's going to be all right, sweetheart." She looked up in surprise to see Jackie kneeling in front of her, a sad smile on her face. "I know you're worried about something. But have you seen him over there?" she asked, tilting her head towards the Doctor, who was rambling something excitedly on the other side of the console, the blonde girl laughing in amusement.

"That man adores you. He's not going to let anything happen to you," Jackie crooned to Lyssa softly. "I mean - you don't know how far he'd go just to make you happy, let alone protect you." She smirked suddenly. "He'd probably wrap you in bubble wrap if he thought he could get away with it. Just... take a deep breath, sweetheart. Things will work out all right in the end, you'll see."

Lyssa stared at Jackie for a moment in shock before leaning forward and catching up the blonde woman in a hug. "Thank you," she murmured into her neck. "My mother would never have done that for me."

"Oh, sweetheart," Jackie whispered, hugging her back tightly. "I know you probably haven't done this yet, but I told you long ago that I could be your second mother, since your first one seems to have failed so spectacularly." She glanced up at her daughter before turning back to Lyssa. "I think we'll be landin' in a moment, dear, so just remember that it'll be all right. He'll make sure you're all right, and if you worry him any more now than he already is, he's liable to tie you up to the console and leave you in here."

Lyssa choked back a shaky laugh, then swiped at her eyes. "Thank you," she told the older woman gratefully, releasing her reluctantly. "I just might take you up on that offer."

This was her first time actually talking to the older woman, but she already felt worlds better. Maybe what she had really needed all along was someone to do what mothers are really supposed to tell their children - that it will be all right. Oh, sure, the world was going to do its best to end itself the moment she stepped outside that door, but she honestly felt better now. It was a strange feeling.

Jackie smiled at her, and hugged her tight one more time before letting go of her fully, looking up with a smirk right as the Doctor and Rose's eyes landed on them, the former with a horrified realization that they had a fourth - and not exactly invited - passenger.

"If we end up on Mars, I'm going to kill you," Jackie told the Doctor complacently, helping Lyssa up and reaching for the console. It was most likely just a further sign of hysteria, but Lyssa couldn't help but break out in laughter along with Rose at the look on his face as they landed, the rotors slowing and the wheezes dying down. Still, she couldn't help but be glad that he had somehow - considering how attentive to her apparently fragile mental state he had been earlier - missed her breakdown.

They gathered around the monitor, watching with interest as soldiers burst into the room, guns at the ready as they took up positions surrounding the TARDIS.

"They do know that we could just re-materialize somewhere else, right?" Rose pointed out tentatively. "And that if we can teleport, we can probably see them, and know that they're right out there?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, there goes the advantage of surprise - at least for them. Still! Cuts to the chase. Rose, stay in here, look after Jackie. Lyssa, you stick with me, but stay behind me until they calm down." He laced his fingers through hers and made for the doors.

"Oi! I'm not looking after my mum," Rose protested indignantly, following them.

"Well, you brought her," the Doctor pointed out.

"Excuse me, I was kidnapped!" Jackie interrupted.

Rose pushed past the Doctor and blocked the door, eyeing him warningly ."Doctor, they've got guns."

"And I haven't. Which makes me the better person, don't you think?" He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently moved her out of the way. "They can shoot me dead, but the moral high ground is mine."

"But what about Lyssa?" Rose said hastily from behind them, apparently playing her trump card as the Doctor suddenly froze. "What if they try and hurt her, too?"

"The key word there is try, and they would not get very far in that attempt without realizing how bad of an idea that is," the Doctor said firmly, not looking back. "But, you do have a point. Might as well make sure they know what's what first. Lyssa, stay by the door, I'll let you know when things are safe."

He paused before looking back at her and frowning. "I don't have the nicest feeling in the world about these people, so don't tell them who you really are, Lyssa. I get the feeling that they shouldn't know who you are."

She nodded in hasty agreement, then took her place by the side of the door as he strode out, waiting nervously by Jackie as Rose watched anxiously on the monitor. There was a few tense moments of silence before they heard several rounds of applause, followed by a muted conversation as Lyssa's stomach tied itself into knots, Jackie placing a hand on her arm reassuringly. There was another pause, then the door opened slightly and the Doctor's hand appeared, feeling around for a moment before latching onto Jackie.

Jackie let out a muffled 'oh!' of surprise as her hand accidentally tightened around Lyssa's arm, pulling her out of the TARDIS as well as they stumbled out in front of a group of soldiers and a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and a cold face. Lyssa felt her heart clench within her.

She knew that face. She knew that woman. She was looking at the leader of Torchwood.

"But here she is, Rose Tyler," the Doctor was saying. His eyes landed on Lyssa, and she saw them tighten, but he kept going with his story. "Hmm, she's not the best I've ever had," he said, looking Jackie over appraisingly. "Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that," he said, miming chatting.

Jackie glared at him as the woman - Yvonne - and the soldiers laughed. "And just last week, she stared into the heart of the TARDIS and aged fifty-seven years. But she'll do. Oh, and that's her friend, Ally. Bit too human-y for my tastes, but Rose insisted." He waved a hand at Lyssa carelessly, before turning back to Jackie.

"I'm forty!" Jackie protested, glaring indignantly at the Doctor.

He glanced conspiratorially at the others. "Deluded," he said in a stage whisper. "Bless. I'll have to trade her in." He continued in a normal tone of voice. "Do you need anyone? She's very good at tea. Well, I say very good, I mean not bad. Well. I say not bad... anyway! Lead on. But not too fast. Her ankle's going."

Well, at least they didn't seem to know who Lyssa was.

"I'll show you where my ankle's going!" Jackie hissed at the Doctor, as they followed Yvonne out of the room - which seemed to be a security cabinet - and into a huge factory floor, filled with various alien artifacts and white-coated scientists.

"Welcome... to Torchwood," Yvonne told them proudly, sweeping her arms across the room.

The Doctor stared at one particular object, that seemed to have wings. "That's a Jathar Sunglider."

"Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago," Yvonne informed them.

"What, did it crash?"

"No, we shot it down," Yvonne said nonchalantly. "It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare. The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day? That was us! Now if you'd like to come with me." She led them on further into the room. "The Torchwood Institute has a motto: 'If it's alien, it's ours'. Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down, and we use it. For the good of the British Empire, of course."

Lyssa made sure to stick close to the Doctor, forcing her face to seem only curious, not terrified or angry as Yvonne continued to brag about all the alien artifacts they possessed. She felt her eyes widen as the Doctor examined the Magnaclamps before tossing them back into the box dismissively.

Finally, the Doctor eased a bit casually towards what he really wanted to know as he looked through a large magnifying glass. "So, what about those ghosts?" he said nonchalantly.

"Ah, yes! The ghosts. They're ah.. er... what you might call a side effect," Yvonne explained.

"Of what?" the Doctor asked with interest.

"All in good time, Doctor. There is an itinerary, trust me." She watched with a smirk on her face as the TARDIS was driven past in a truck, and only shook her head smugly at Jackie's protests. "If it's alien, it's ours," she reminded the woman.

"You'll never get inside," the Doctor warned her.

When she only hummed and turned away dismissively, they looked back in time to see Rose peering out the door. The Doctor nodded encouragingly before quickly before turning back to Yvonne, to keep attention away from Rose. He spared a worried glance for Lyssa, who tried to smile back at him, though it probably looked more like a grimace than anything.

Yvonne led them through a series of hallways, where they learned that the Doctor was an enemy of the Crown, and was officially a prisoner - although Yvonne assured him that he'd be made comfortable while he taught them about everything they stole.

She finally stopped outside a large black door, pressing her ID card against the lock and opening the room to reveal a large golden sphere hovering in the air a few yards away. Lyssa instantly felt her heart drop into her stomach as the feeling of _wrong_ suddenly increased, although this time she didn't seem to be alone. Jackie looked distinctly uncomfortable as well.

"What do you make of that?" Yvonne said impressively, as the Doctor stared, open-mouthed, at the sphere. Lyssa heard one of the scientists in the room mention something, but her attention was completely taken up by the sphere as she felt the simultaneous urge to both touch it and flee from the room.

"We tried scanning it using every device imaginable," the scientist - Rajesh, by his nametag - said as the Doctor pulled out his 3-D glasses and continued to examine the sphere. "But according to our instruments, the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing. It doesn't age. No heat. No radiation. And, it has no atomic mass."

"But I can see it!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off... nothing. It is... absent."

"Well, Doctor?" Yvonne said at last, tilting her head to the side curiously.

He folded away his glasses, looking worried. "Well, it's impossible for starters. I always thought it was just a theory, but... it's a vessel designed to exist outside time and space. Traveling through the Void." He sat down at the bottom of the stairs below the sphere, immediately being surrounded by Yvonne and Rajesh.

"And what's the Void?" Rajesh asked eagerly.

"The space between dimensions. There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions, billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other. The Void is the space in-between. Containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that, nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down. No life. No time. Without end. My people called it the Void, the Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell." The Doctor's eyes met Lyssa's.

"But someone built the sphere. Why? What for?" Rajesh asked.

"To explore. To escape. You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang... end of the universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation," the Doctor said softly.

"So there is something inside it!" Yvonne concluded smugly.

The Doctor looked at her sharply, his tone warning. "Oh, yes."

"So how do we get in there?" Rajesh asked brightly.

The Doctor's face turned dead serious as he stood abruptly. "We don't. We send it right back to Hell. How did it get here in the first place?"

"Well, that's how it all started," Yvonne explained. "The sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake."

"Show me." The Doctor didn't even wait for them to lead the way, instead striding off through the door, being followed by the others and a bemused Yvonne, who didn't try to stop him, only corrected him when he took a wrong turn. They ended up in an office area, where a white wall lay on one side, bare of decoration.

"The sphere came through here. A hole in the world," Yvonne informed them, the Doctor running his hands over it appraisingly. "Not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breech opens up."

"How'd you even find it?" the Doctor wondered.

"Well, we were getting warning signs for years. A radar black-spot. So we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breech was six hundred foot above sea level. It was on the only way to reach it."

"You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance? How much money have you got?" the Doctor demanded, pulling his 3-D glasses back out.

"Enough." Yvonne strode away towards Jackie, who was staring out the window.

Lyssa crept forward slightly to stand by the Doctor, who glanced towards her slightly, but kept his gaze on the wall. "I don't think you were accurate with your earlier estimate," he told her quietly. When she tilted her head curiously, he explained. "This isn't an eleven. This... this is more like a hundred. Maybe a thousand. This is bad. This is very, very bad." He turned and strode back towards Yvonne and Jackie.

"So, you find the breech, probe it, the sphere comes through. Six hundred feet above London, bam! It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think, 'oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe?' Nah, you think 'let's make it bigger!'" He frowned at Yvonne.

She just stared at him in amused condescension. "It's a massive source of energy. If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent. Look, you can see for yourself. Next Ghost Shift's in two minutes." She left the office and entered the main area, quickly followed by the others.

"Cancel it," the Doctor ordered immediately.

She shook her head dismissively. "I don't think so."

"I'm warning you, cancel it!" the Doctor repeated angrily.

"Oh, exactly as the legends would have it. The Doctor, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of Man," Yvonne said mockingly. Lyssa narrowed her eyes at the woman angrily. Yes, the Doctor was clearly the problem here. He definitely hadn't proven his expertise the other thousand times he'd saved the Earth in the past...

"Let me show you," the Doctor said with forced patience. He strode over to the other side of the glass partition that separated her office from the main area and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Sphere comes through," he started, activating his sonic screwdriver,and causing cracks to appear on the glass, spreading outwards as he continued to speak.

"But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through. That's how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and helping them along! But too many ghosts, and..." He placed a finger lightly on the glass, causing it to shatter instantly into thousands of tiny pieces.

"Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful," Yvonne said lightly, before raising her voice to adress the staff. "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute!"

Lyssa chewed on her lip until she tasted blood as the Doctor continued to argue with Yvonne about stopping the ghost shift, before seeming to give up and sitting down in a chair complacently, throwing her off balance. She stared at him, trying to tell what he was planning, before giving up, canceling the shift and walking away, ordering someone to clean up the glass.

She forced herself to keep quiet as they ended up in Yvonne's office, afraid that her American accent would raise far more questions than she wanted to answer. But her fists clenched when Rose was outed, caught by Rajesh in the sphere chamber, and Yvonne mentioned just having her shot oh-so-casually, and she fought to keep the disgust from her face as she stood by Jackie behind the Doctor.

Though she couldn't help a small, somewhat bitter smile when the Doctor admitted he knew her, and pleaded with Yvonne not to tell anyone that he traveled with anyone's mother, claiming that he had a reputation to keep.

The sound of the Ghost Shift starting startled them all. But it was made far worse for Lyssa when she saw the workers staring blankly at their computer screens, typing mindlessly, blue lights flashing in their ears. Yvonne was panicking, trying to stop the shift, to get a response from her workers - none of whom responded, even when the Doctor snapped his fingers in front of the face of one woman who looked heartbreakingly similar to Martha.

"She can't hear you," he told Yvonne. "They're overriding the systems. We're going into Ghost Shift." He frowned at their blinking earpieces. "I've seen this before. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he told the unresponsive workers. He deactivated their earpieces with his sonic, wincing when all three of them screamed before slumping lifelessly at their desks. "They're dead," he said softly, his eyes filled with sympathy as he looked at Lyssa, who was trying to stay calm.

"You killed them," Jackie breathed in horror.

He shook his head in sorrow. "Someone did that long before I got here," he told Jackie.

Lyssa closed her eyes and focused on getting her breathing under control as Yvonne insisted on pulling out their earpieces, only to drop them in horror when she realized that they were connected to brain tissue. They were too late to stop the Ghost Shift, but they were able to determine that it was being orchestrated by someone somewhere else in the building. The Doctor found a traceable signal on his sonic and held it up in the air to follow, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Jackie, you stay here. Lyssa, you too. If I'm right..." he sighed. "Let's just pray I'm wrong. Stay safe, all right?" he told Lyssa, looking away from his sonic to stare at her. She swallowed hard, trying to fight back tears of fear.

"I'll try. You too." He nodded, before heading out of the office with Yvonne in tow.

Lyssa took the opportunity and turned to Jackie. "Jackie, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. But I can't stop this. It's going to be so horrible." She stopped as tears choked her throat.

"I told you dear, it'll be all right. And it's never your fault that bad people - or aliens - do bad things," Jackie said comfortingly, wrapping her arms around the brunette. They stood that way in silence for a few moments before screams alerted them to the presence of others, making Lyssa tense up in Jackie's arms as the Doctor and Yvonne returned, their arms held high in the air in surrender, surrounded by dozens of Cybermen marching in unison.

"Get away from the machines, do what they say. Don't fight them!" the Doctor called worriedly just as one of the Cybermen revealed its weapons and killed a scientist, making Lyssa gasp and turn to bury her face in Jackie's chest, feeling more like a child than anything else.

"What are they?" Jackie cried in terror, her arms tightening around Lyssa.

"We are the Cybermen. The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent." The cold, emotionless voice did more to fill Lyssa with fear than anything else as one of the others switched the levers to the full position.

"Online," it reported.

The Doctor stared as the lights began to brighten. "Here come the ghosts," he breathed, watching the wall with a horrified look in his eyes.

Jackie let go of Lyssa, who stepped to stand besides her reluctantly, tasting blood on her tongue as she bit her lip again, and clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "These Zybermen, what've they got to do with the ghosts?" Jackie asked hesitantly.

"You never listen, do you?" the Doctor cried despairingly. "A footprint doesn't look like a boot! They're Cybermen! All of these ghosts are Cybermen! All across the world, millions of Cybermen!"

"They're invading the planet!" Yvonne gasped in a tone of horrified realization.

The Doctor shook his head. "It's not an invasion. It's too late for that. It's a victory." He looked around as the open laptop on Yvonne's desk began flashing the words, ' _Sphere activated_ ,' over and over. He frowned and turned to one of the Cybermen. "What I don't understand is, Cybermen don't have the technology to build the Void Ship, that's way beyond you. How did you create that sphere?"

"The sphere is not ours," the Cyberman answered robotically.

The Doctor looked stunned. "What?"

"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown."

"Then what's inside it?" the Doctor breathed.

"Doctor..." Jackie spoke up, sounding terrified. "Rose is down there."

Lyssa could only look back sadly at the Doctor when he turned to her, his eyebrow raised in question. She didn't have the strength to fight, or speak in riddles, and couldn't muster up the energy to be worried about Yvonne finding out that she knew what was inside, too worried about the much bigger threats instead when they all turned to her when she spoke for almost the first time since leaving the TARDIS, Yvonne's eyes narrowing as she spoke.

"Death. Death is inside."

* * *

 **A/N: Oh my gosh, this chapter is long. Sorry if parts of it felt a bit rushed, but it's getting late, and I want to get this out before heading to bed! Anyways, while going over the script for this episode, I remembered just how much of a heartless beast Yvonne really is. I always hated this episode, and the next one's only going to get worse... probably for all of us. Especially considering the one part that I can't tell you about yet. :/ Sorry. D:**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to E-man-dy-S, V, Fakira, and TheTinyMouse for reviewing!  
**

 ** _E-man-dy-S: Yay! I'm glad you liked the Christmas chapter! :) I wanted that one to be pure fluff, essentially, lol. And I checked ch 21 for a duplicated paragraph, but was unable to find it (I have a history of being the type of person to look for my glasses when they're on my face, however, so I could have missed it). :/ Maybe it was one of the earlier chapters? Either way, thank you for catching that and letting me know - I'm well aware that my writing is not perfect, and constructive criticism is always welcome. And thank you for all the feedback! I was kind of excited about introducing Tirdis, however briefly. Hope you like this chapter, and thanks for reviewing! :)  
_**

 ** _V: Hahaha, thanks! Hope you like this chapter, too! :)_**

 ** _Fakira: Awww, that's so sweet, thank you! (It's awesome to hear that you liked it so much you binge-read it in one sitting). And I'm glad you like the mysteries... ;) There'll be more answers - and probably more mysteries - as we go along. And I am glad that people like it, but what I'm really proud of is that I have such awesome readers, who show their support in such amazing ways. :D Seriously, thank you for your review! I love getting feedback, so this is a really awesome present. ;D  
_**

 ** _T_** ** _heTinyMouse: Well, nothing much happened THIS chapter... however, I will say that something very not nice will be happening very soon... next chapter or two, most likely. ;D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter! :D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! (or at least, are willing to continue reading until I get done with this tear-jerking two-part episode)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who**


	24. Chapter 24 - Doomsday

**Warning: It gets a bit graphic later on with the Cybermen's upgrade process. Nothing too bad, but not very pleasant to think about, and there are mentions of blood. It starts about halfway down, and references to it continue throughout thereafter.**

Jackie sucked in a sharp breath at Lyssa's words before turning to the Doctor. "What's down there? She was in the room with that sphere. What's happened to Rose?" she asked tearfully.

The Doctor shook his head, leaning against the far wall. "I don't know." He wasn't looking at any of them, only staring at the floor; but when Jackie began to cry he got up and took hold of her shoulders comfortingly. "But I'll find her. I brought you here, I'll get you both out of here. You and your daughter. All right, Jackie? Jackie, look at me," he urged gently. When the woman looked up, eyes red with tears, he met her gaze and said sincerely, "I promise you. I give you my word."

Jackie nodded in acceptance before turning to Lyssa, who had been watching the proceedings with guilt, wrapping one hand loosely around the other arm. "Lyssa? I just - will Rose be all right?" she pleaded. "I know you can't tell us everything, but please. Just - will Rose be all right down there?"

Lyssa forced a weak smile. "Rose is clever, Jackie. She knows how to stay alive. They won't kill her." She looked away when the woman smiled gratefully at her, not seeing both Yvonne and the Doctor eyeing her curiously. The Doctor frowned, noticing that her promise left a lot up in the air, and Yvonne scrutinized the brunette more carefully, narrowing her eyes at her.

They all looked towards Yvonne when one of the Cyberman - the Cyberleader? - tromped towards her desk. "You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender," it informed her in its monotone voice.

She rolled her eyes, not a trace of fear visible on her face. "Do your research," she snapped. "We haven't got a central world authority."

"You have now. I will speak on all global wavelengths," the Cyberleader announced.

Lyssa tried to creep a little closer to the Doctor, who had once again pulled out his 3-D glasses, but not before looking worriedly at her. She noticed that once he had his glasses on, he once again looked her over, before focusing on the Cyberman again, then slipping them off. She didn't have the energy to think about it, too focused on the Cyberleader's chilling speech.

"This broadcast is for human kind," it began. "Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove gender and class and color and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us." It halted the transmission, then marched over to the large window, and looked out on the chaos below, followed by the others, and an additional Cyberman.

Rather than listening to the Cyberman's speech, people were trying their best to stop them. People were running around and screaming, a few brave souls were throwing whatever they had at the Cybermen in an attempt to damage them, and several soldiers managed, after taking severe casualties, to hit a Cyberman and set it up in flames.

"I ordered surrender," the Cyberleader stated, apparently confused as to why that wasn't happening.

"They're not taking instructions," the Doctor said bitterly, watching as one mother tried to flee, carrying her six year old son with her. "Don't you understand? You're on every street, you're in their homes. You've got their children. Of course they're gonna fight," he spat. The Cyberleader didn't respond, instead marching over to Yvonne's desk.

"Units 10-65 and 10-66 will investigate sphere chamber," it ordered. After a few moments, it spoke again. "Units open visual link." The others followed with a sort of worried curiosity as the Cybermen logo appeared on the screen before shifting to the chamber that held the sphere, a golden Dalek appearing to be facing off against two Cybermen. The Doctor jerked back at the sight of one of his most hated foes, but didn't say anything, instead watching with growing horror.

" ** _Identify yourselves_ ,**" the Dalek ordered.

" _You will identify first,_ " one of the Cybermen retorted.

" ** _State your identity_** ," the Dalek repeated.

The Doctor flinched again as a deep black Dalek rolled into view, looking as if his worst nightmare had just come to life - and considering the circumstances, it probably had.

" _You will identify first,_ " the Cyberman retorted, sounding for all the world like a homicidal toddler.

" ** _Identify_!**" the Dalek screeched in return.

" _Illogical. You will identify,_ " the Cyberman rebuffed.

" ** _Daleks do not take orders_.**"

" _You have identified as Daleks._ " Annnnd point to the Cyberman.

" ** _Outline resembles the inferior species known as the Cybermen_ ,**" the Dalek retorted after a moment of awkward silence.

Jackie crept up by the Doctor and whispered frantically, "Rose talked about the Daleks. She was terrified of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead?"

The Doctor whipped around to face her, his face tense. "Phone," he bit out through gritted teeth.

"What did you...?" Jackie frowned, unable to hear him.

"Phone!" he hissed. Jackie surreptitiously slipped him her phone, trying to keep the Cyberman from noticing it. He snatched it from her hands and hastily dialed Rose, holding the phone to his ear, obviously frantic with worry. His tense shoulders relaxed minutely a moment later.

"She answered. She's alive," he breathed with relief. "Why haven't they killed her?" he wondered as Jackie clapped her hands over her mouth with relief and Lyssa closed her eyes. She knew that things weren't supposed to change from the original course of events.

That didn't mean it still wouldn't happen.

Jackie whacked him on the arm. "Well, don't complain!"

"They must need her for something." He looked over at Lyssa again warily. "Lyssa was right. Rose is clever. She's convinced them that they need her." He paused, listening to the phone still held up to his ear. "The Genesis Ark?" He put on his 3-D glasses again and looked back at the laptop, though not without once again looking Lyssa over and frowning.

" _Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant_ ," one of the Cybermen was saying.

" ** _Daleks have no concept of elegance_ ,**" the Dalek stated.

" _This is obvious._ " Another point for the Cybermen. " _But consider, our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks. Together, we could upgrade the Universe._ "

" ** _You propose an alliance?_** "

" _This is correct._ "

Lyssa wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes, feeling so incredibly grateful that the Daleks would refuse. The day that they formed an alliance was literally the day that the world ended - and had to be reset via Pandorica.

" _ **Request denied**._"

" _Hostile elements will be deleted,_ " the Cyberman stated, immediately thrusting their fists out towards the Daleks. They fired, but their rays merely bounced off of the near impenetrable armor.

" ** _Exterminate_!**" the golden Dalek screeched, sending chills down Lyssa's spine. It fired at both of the Cyberman, killing them, and sending their bodies to the floor with a crash as the screen went blank.

"Open visual link," the Cyberleader ordered immediately, pulling the view back up. "Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen," it told the Daleks through the screen. Jackie gasped, placing an arm around Lyssa's shoulders and drawing the younger woman in tight.

" ** _This is not war. This is pest control,_** " the Dalek stated simply.

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?" The Cyberleader threatened.

" ** _Four_.**"

If the Cyberman could feel emotions, it would doubtless be scoffing by this point. "You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?"

The Dalek practically oozed confidence through the screen. " ** _We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek. You are superior in only one aspect._** "

"And what is that?"

" _ **You are better at dying. Raise the communications barrier**!_" The screen went static as the Doctor clicked the phone shut reluctantly.

"Lost her!" he said regretfully. He turned to Lyssa. "Lyssa, how are you holding up?" She only stared at him, her heart pounding, as she slowly shook her head, trying to keep her breathing level.

"This isn't the worst part," she breathed.

"What do you mean?" Yvonne snapped, startling all of them as she glared at Lyssa. "You've been mentioning all these odd little snippets of information that sound like you knew this was going to happen. And both of them called you Lyssa, not Ally. You've been hiding who you really are." Lyssa's silence was confirmation enough, and the leader of Torchwood narrowed her eyes at her.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you," Yvonne accused her. "Are you even human? No human has that sort of capabilities. You're an alien, just as much as he is!" the woman spat, waving a hand at the Doctor. "You knew they were going to come, you knew they were going to kill all those people! You probably even helped them! This is all your fault!" Lyssa flinched backwards under the harsh onslaught of words as the Doctor caught her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders protectively, glaring at Yvonne.

"It's not anyone's fault that the Cybermen began killing people but their own. _But_ ," he bit out, emphasizing the word, "if we were to blame anyone, I'd blame the woman who did her utmost to help the Cybermen on their way through the Void," he hissed, giving a pointed glance to the wall where the rift was. "Anyone with half a brain could tell what was going to happen. Lyssa was smart enough to be able to figure out the consequences of what you were doing, and has done nothing but try to stop what's happening from becoming even worse, while you've done your best to help them, all in the name of your precious job."

Yvonne looked away guiltily as his words hit home. "I did my duty for Queen and Country," she forced out.

"Yeah. And I'm sure they're all very grateful," the Doctor snapped.

"Quarantine the Sphere Chamber. Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel," the Cyberleader ordered, indicating their group. Lyssa gasped as they were surrounded by Cybermen, who gripped them by their elbows and began to drag them away.

"No! You can't do this! We surrendered! We surrendered!" Yvonne protested, as she was dragged out of the room. They started to drag the other three, but then stopped.

"This one's increased adrenaline suggests he has vital Dalek information," one of the Cybermen reported, pulling the Doctor off to the side.

"Alert: Cyberman unit 10-68 reports the Daleks believe the Siren to be present. Initiate scans," the Cyberleader reported. "If the Siren is present, they must be located."

Lyssa exchanged a confused look with the Doctor and Jackie, although the Doctor seemed more horrified then confused. Was the Siren that awful? At least they weren't looking for the Oracle, as they probably would have found her in an instant. She gasped and flinched away as one of the Cyberman suddenly extended its hand towards her, and emitted a blue ray that scanned her from head to toe before doing the same to Jackie, Yvonne, and the Doctor.

"No signs of the Siren present," it reported. "Continuing with emergency upgrading." It tightened its hold on Lyssa's arm and began shoving her out of the room.

"No, wait! Doctor, please!" Lyssa cried, panicking as she was dragged away from the Doctor, as he immediately began struggling against the iron grip of his guard.

"No! Wait! If you kill her, I won't tell you anything! Let her go! Let her go this instant!" he demanded, straining against his captor.

"The human female will not be killed," the Cyberleader intoned as Lyssa, Jackie, and Yvonne were forced from the room. "She will be upgraded, and freed from her imperfections."

"You promised! You gave me your word!" Jackie shouted at the Doctor as she was pulled from the room.

"I'll think of something!" he promised desperately. "I will get you out of there, I swear it, Lyssa!" His eyes met hers for a heartbeat, silently promising something that she couldn't read before he renewed his struggles as she was pulled out of sight, his voice yelling desperate threats before becoming unintelligible as screams and the sound of drilling from closer by began to replace them. Lyssa paled and struggled not to gag as they approached a curtained area, a line of terrified people marching slowly to their doom. Out of all the fates she could meet, this had to be the worst.

But before they died, she had to say something, if only to provide a brief comfort. "Y -yvonne," she stammered, her weak voice barely audible amidst the screams as personnel were marched behind the curtains. The other woman looked over at her, now visibly terrified, tears shimmering in her eyes. Lyssa hesitated, closing her eyes briefly before opening them and meeting the other woman's eyes. "It's not all your fault. You never intended for this to happen." She winced at the shrill sound of a drill as another person was marched behind the curtain. Yvonne looked startled, but nodded gratefully.

"What happens in there? What's upgrading mean? What do they do?" Jackie asked, her voice quivering as they waited in line, Yvonne up front, followed by Lyssa, then Jackie.

Yvonne looked sick, her voice disgusted. "I think... I think they remove the brain -" She involuntarily gagged before recovering. "Sorry, um... I think they remove the brain and they put it in a suit of armor. That's what these things are. They're us."

"Next," the Cyberman by the opening of the curtain intoned. Yvonne gasped as she was drug towards the curtain.

"This is your fault! You and your Torchwood! You've killed us all!" Jackie shouted after her.

"I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country!" Yvonne shouted back tearfully. She wrenched her arm away from the Cyberman and faced the upgrading area as Lyssa and Jackie watched in horror, steeling herself to walk in. "I did my duty. I did my duty. Above all else, I did my duty." She walked into the chamber, Lyssa's hands flying to her mouth as her screams echoed out a moment later, sparks flying.

"Next," the Cyberman said unfeelingly. Lyssa felt her knees go weak as she was drug towards the curtains.

"Jackie, please," she begged desperately, twisting around to see the horrified older woman. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, tell the Doctor that I -" Her words were cut off by a gasp of terror as she was forcibly turned around to face the curtain. She swallowed hard, wrenching her arm from the Cyberman's grip. "Tell him that I died with honor," she said, her voice wavering. "And that he was the best friend I ever had. Tell him -" She sucked in a breath that sounded like a sob, tears starting to trickle down her cheek as she closed her eyes. "Tell him I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

And with that, she opened her eyes and forced herself to walk through the curtain, escorted by the Cyberman.

Inside it looked like a massacre. Blood was sprayed everywhere around the room - the floor, the curtains, the ceiling. And the gleaming drill bits and saws above her were dripping with it. At the far end of the room was an empty Cyberman body, that would no doubt host what was left of her after the process. She looked up in terror and saw the blade whirring around before focusing on her. She tried to cower away, but the Cyberman held her tight, forcing her to walk to the center of the room before holding her there, the blade following her as she moved.

"No! Please, no!" she begged, hunching her shoulders together and ducking her head in a pitiful attempt to stop the inevitable as the Cyberman forced her head up straight. "No!" She screamed in terror as the sharp saw headed straight for her.

The next moment, several things happened all at once. Something appeared right above her head, causing the saw to bounce off of it with a screech that sent sparks flying. At the same time, a small metal disc attached itself to the Cyberman, who looked down at it before sparks erupted from the device, causing it to collapse and let go of Lyssa. Bereft of the only thing holding her steady, she fell to the floor in mute shock, unable to respond as blood covered her hands and knees, soaking into her clothing.

Not giving her time to react, two hands reached under her arms and pulled her to her feet, keeping her upright when she slipped on the blood and her knees wavered. Then, ducking under the still hovering saws, they - whoever they were - pulled her off to the side and through a small slit in the curtain in the back of the room. Miraculously, they ended up in a quiet hallway, with only two Cybermen visible near the end of the hallway and facing the other way. Readjusting their grip, the person placed one of their hands over Lyssa's mouth when she let out a muffled shriek at the sight, and darted across to a door that led to a stairwell.

Carefully shutting the door behind them, they drug Lyssa down three more levels before they apparently deemed it safe enough and released her. She immediately crumpled to the ground, shuddering, with her back pressed up tight against the corner as she covered her face with her hands, trying to keep from breaking down and sobbing.

"Lyssa, are you all right? I know that must have been terrifying, but were you physically harmed in any way? Please, I need to know if you were hurt so that I can treat it." The voice was male, vaguely British, and strangely soothing.

She slowly lowered her hands and looked up, but with the tears blurring her eyes, she could only make out a vague face shape with dark brown hair swept back in short waves with a light dusting of hair around his mouth, and amber brown eyes that looked strangely familiar. She sniffed and swiped at her eyes, trying to clear her vision.

"Wh- who are you?" she managed to ask, her voice unsteady. "Ho- how did you do that?"

The man, looking to be in his early thirties, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh, let's just say I was in the right place at the right time. I know a bit about Cybermen, and I just so happened to have something that would stop one in their tracks. It was the only one I have on me, though, so..." he grimaced. "Here's hoping we don't run into any more of 'em, yeah?"

She stared at him, her senses slowly starting to come back to her as shock started to bury the horrors she'd just gone through. "You look really familiar for some reason. Are you -" She stopped as her brain put it all together. "Robert Downey Jr?" she stated in disbelief. "The actor? What are you doing here?"

He laughed awkwardly. "Uh, not exactly, no. I just kind of look like him. But I'm not him, I promise. Now, I know you've just had a horrible shock, but we need to get out of here, right away." A loud explosion sounded a few floors above them. "Case in point. Do you think you can stand on your own, now? We need to get lower."

She nodded shakily, using the wall to help her get to her feet. Once he was certain she was steady, he offered his hand to her. She stared at it for a moment before he wiggled his fingers invitingly. "I'm not going to bite, I promise. My only goal in this is to help you survive as long as possible."

She switched her gaze to his face. "Why? Why do you want to help me? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful. But why me?"

He wiggled his fingers again meaningfully. "Let's get going, then I'll explain, yeah?" He glanced upwards at the sound of another explosion. Or perhaps it was weapon fire. "For now, we need to get going."

She bit her lip uncertainly. There was no way that this man was from this time period - knowing about Cybermen alone was enough, but the fact that he was also capable of stopping them? And she hadn't missed the way his gaze had flickered to her necklace, and not just out of curiosity. No, this man knew something.

But he had also saved her life. Deliberately, despite the potential for him to lose his own life in the process. So, slowly, hoping she wouldn't regret it, she reached out and put her hand in his.

And immediately drew it back again as warmth flooded her hand, holding it to her chest protectively and glaring at him suspiciously. Normally, she probably wouldn't have reacted so strongly, but right now, her self control was hanging by a thread.

"What was that?" she demanded shrilly. "Why did that happen?" Her chest heaved as she took deep breaths, adrenaline coursing through her veins with renewed vigor.

"Why did what happen?"

She glared at him. "The warmth! The only time I've ever felt that is from the Doctor, and I know you're not him, because I left him upstairs, probably thinking that I'm dead!" Her voice broke. "So who are you, really? And what. Was. That?"

He grimaced. "That's not really something I can explain right now. Let's just say that the Doctor - not the Doctor from now, but from the future - sent me, because he knew this would happen, and he wouldn't be able - "

"To visit while his other self is still here, without possibly rupturing the timeline," Lyssa interrupted. "Let's say that you're right. Why should I believe he sent you?"

He sighed impatiently. "Lyssa, we really don't have time for this."

She remained firm, her voice rising as she grew more upset. "Well, that's too bad! Because I was nearly killed just a few minutes ago, and almost went through one of my worst nightmares - and there's still a very large chance that I could end up like one of them anyways! But I'm not going anywhere with you until you've proven to me that the Doctor sent you!"

He ran his hand through his hair in exasperation, before sighing and giving in. "Fine. If it will get you moving faster, I'll prove it to you." He gazed at her impatiently. "The Doctor sent me to rescue his fairy-girl, someone named Lyssa Mae Devons. Heard of her? She has a snowflake charm on her necklace that symbolizes friendship that the Doctor gave to her after a Christmas trip to the planet Winter -"

"Wonderland," Lyssa finished, her eyes wide. "Okay. I'm convinced you at least know the Doctor or I. That's not something we would tell just anyone."

He raised an eyebrow. "But are you convinced enough to go lower with me? It's not safe here. It really isn't."

She rolled her eyes, her heartbeat finally starting to slow down as she figured that at least he could be trusted a little bit. "You know, you seem awfully determined that I should go with you. Haven't you ever heard of stranger danger?" she teased weakly. "I mean, if you came from the Doctor, you're probably a really sketchy character." She paused, then tilted her head and frowned at him thoughtfully. "Although, I'm still wondering. How come I felt the same warmth with you that I do with the Doctor?"

His lips twisted upwards in what might be called a bitter smirk. "You're not the only one with time in their veins, princess." When she opened her mouth to ask questions, he shook his head. "Sorry. It's cutting too close to the allotted time frame I have. You need to be in the proper place in," he checked his watch, "Five minutes, which means we're going to have to fly." He grimaced. "I really didn't want to have to do this, but in my defense, you gave me permission ahead of time. And, uh, sorry about the headache in advance."

"Wha-?" She flinched backwards as the man suddenly advanced towards her, hands raised. "Wh- what are you doing?" She gasped as her back hit the wall. "No! Stay back! Doctor!" she raised her voice, calling for help. "Doctor! Please! Help me! Doctor!" her voice echoed off the cold walls, mocking her. The man winced at her calls, but continued on, raising his hands to her temples. "No, what are you -" she gasped, then her knees gave way as her world went black.

The man caught her before she could hit the ground, lifting her into his arms easily, a regretful expression on his face. "I didn't want to have to do this, princess, but somethings can't change. Some things can never change." He raised his voice slightly. "You can come out, now."

A small form crept out from around the stairwell, staring at the limp body with worry. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She's just sleeping," the man assured the boy. "I had to temporarily replace her memories to keep them aligned with the timeline. When she wakes, she'll believe that she managed to escape the Cybermen when they transitioned to a new Cyberleader." He sighed. "Although she'll still have the memories of the upgrading chamber, unfortunately. I can't remove every horror she'll face, or she'll never be strong enough." He lifted her a little higher and strode down the stairs, followed by the boy behind him, and being joined by a well-dressed blonde woman.

"You know you can't break the hold it has on her yet, right?" she reminded him, her voice soft. "It's far too soon. She can't even get a hint as to what it is, or it could break it, and kill her. She's too young."

"I know, I know," the man muttered unhappily. "I just wish it didn't have to be this way." He paused as they descended another level. "Does this look right to you? I believe it was somewhere around here that she's supposed to wake up."

The woman eyed the surroundings then nodded. "This will have to do. We're running out of time."

The man nodded, carefully laying Lyssa down by the wall near the door and brushing a few stray curls out of her face. "Sweet dreams," he murmured, standing back up. Then, rejoining the woman, he swept up the boy into his arms and grasped the woman by the wrist as she tapped her vortex manipulator, then disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Lyssa alone.

xXx

When Lyssa blearily opened her eyes, she was laying in a heap in the corner of a stairwell. "What? How did I get here?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and sitting up, looking around at her surroundings in confusion. "Wait." She frowned as memories began to flood her head, bringing a headache along with it.

She had been in the upgrading chamber, and just about to be marched to the center of the room to be upgraded - a thought that made her shudder in horror - when the Cyberman holding her had faltered and released her. She'd taken advantage of the opportunity to slip through the back of the curtain and down the stairwell to this level, where she'd apparently fainted.

She carefully got to her feet, wiping at her face before frowning when she felt wetness on her hands. She refused to look at them and shook off the distraction, regretting the decision when it only increased her headache. "Now I just need to figure out what's going on outside," she muttered. "Last I remember, the Doctor was being kept by the Cybermen, but they hadn't teamed up yet, and the Daleks hadn't opened the sphere yet, I don't think."

She cringed as the sound of the Dalek's war cry and weapons fire reached her ears through the walls. "Never mind. Okay, if they've done that, then I should probably head up to the top level. I think Rose and the Doctor should be up there by this point." She frowned up at the stairs above her head. "Here's hoping I don't run into anyone." Taking a deep breath, and feeling strangely separated from the day's events, she began to make her way upstairs, her legs surprisingly steady.

She had gone up three levels when she heard the sound of shrieking Daleks. She paused temporarily, then increased her pace. She didn't have much time. She rounded another level, then fell back when she ran into a group of Cybermen, who were advancing up the stairwell. They turned to face her.

"Halt. You will be brought for emergency upgrading," one of them commanded. She cringed away from their reaching hands, trying to muster up the strength to turn and flee down the stairwell when another Cyberman appeared at the front of the group by the door that led to the inner floor, blocking their path.

"You will not upgrade her. You will not pass," it ordered with traces of a familiar female voice, pointing a gun at them.

Lyssa's eyes widened and she took an involuntary step back. "Yvonne?" she breathed, staring at the Cyberman. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"What is the meaning of this?" the Cyberman at the front of the group asked, as they all turned to face Yvonne's cyberform.

"You will not pass," it repeated, pulling the trigger. A white light emitted from the gun, killing the other Cybermen but leaving Lyssa unscathed. She timidly crept closer.

"Yvonne?" she asked uncertainly, drawing back when the Cyberman turned to her.

"I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country," it told her mournfully, a single black tear trickling out of one eye.

Her hands flew to her mouth. Yvonne remembered. She was aware of what she had become - a realization so horrible it had literally killed the Cybermen in Pete's World. "Oh, Yvonne. I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. Yvonne had been ruthless and greedy, uncaring of the rights - and lives - of others. But she didn't deserve this. No one did. She reached out a hand timidly, and carefully touched its - her? - arm, trying to offer one last sense of comfort.

But Yvonne flinched away, then carefully stepped backwards, opening the path. "Go," it -she- ordered. "I did my duty for Queen and Country. I did my duty for Queen and Country."

Lyssa stared at Yvonne for a minute longer. "Thank you," she told her truthfully. "I'll make sure they know you died a hero." The sound of a roaring wind reached her ears, pulling the Cyberman that was Yvonne up into the air and out of sight along with the others. She instinctively reached out a hand, but pulled it back, knowing it would have been useless anyways. "Time to go," she whispered, taking one last look at the spot Yvonne had been before turning and darting up the last level of stairs, then bursting through the door into one of the hallways.

She felt her heart jump in her chest at the sight of the curtains used for upgrading, but swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise and kept going, charging through the hallways, guided by the sound of the rushing wind and the occasional shrieks from the Daleks and Cybermen. She ran into the rift room at last, then stopped, transfixed by the sight of Rose and the Doctor hanging onto the Magnaclamps for dear life while Cybermen and Daleks were pulled into the room through the broken window and into the rift.

Neither of them had seen her, too focused on holding onto their levers. She had apparently arrived at the pivotal moment, as a shower of sparks erupted from the lever near Rose, switching it to the off position and decreasing the suction, although Lyssa was unable to feel any difference.

"Turn it on!" the Doctor shouted desperately. Rose struggled desperately to reach it, finally loosening her grip on the clamp to use her foot to switch the lever back to the on position, increasing the suction again, but now leaving her with only the lever to hold onto. "Rose, hold on!" But the Void was pulling at her, tearing her grip from the lever. "Hold on!" he screamed.

Lyssa finally broke through the paralysis that had taken over her body and leapt forward, dodging around fallen obstacles and praying she would make it in time.

"Rose, hold on!" she shouted as she neared the blonde, making both the Doctor and Rose turn to her, horrified shock becoming visible on their faces as they took her in. She stretched her hand out towards Rose, heedless of the possible consequences, the Doctor doing the same as Rose reached out to them.

But she was too late.

With one last terrified cry, Rose's fingers slipped from the lever, sending her flying towards the gaping mouth of the Void, ready to suck her in.

"Rose!" both the Doctor and Lyssa shouted desperately, Lyssa still running for the blonde, hand outstretched, tears pouring down her face.

At the very last moment, seconds before she would be lost to them forever, the man she recognized as Pete Tyler appeared, pulling her into his arms. Rose had just enough time to glance over her shoulder at the Doctor before they vanished, going back to Pete's World. Lyssa slowed to a stop just as the breach closed itself, leaving the place as silent as the graveyard it now was.

"No!" she shrieked, pounding her fist against the wall repeatedly. "No! It didn't - it didn't have to -" Her hand slid down the wall, leaving a long, bloody streak as she fell down to the ground sobbing, finally giving into all the emotions she'd been suppressing that day. "Rose." The word came out as a whimper, quickly swallowed up by the silent room.

She felt more than sensed his presence as he sat down beside her and drew her into his arms, holding her tightly as she sobbed into his chest, burying his face in her hair; his body making a few shuddering movements of its own as she felt a few drops fall onto her face. She didn't know how long they stayed there, but at last her tears began to slow. She didn't raise her head from his chest, only turning it to the side slightly and gripping the lapels of his coat, too weary to even contemplate moving any further. The Doctor lowered his arms slightly, but kept them wrapped tightly around her, refusing to let her go.

"Doctor?" she whispered at last, her voice weak. His arms tightened around her.

"I thought you were dead," he told her softly. "Jackie told me..." He stopped, and seemed to struggle to get the rest of the sentence out. "She told me you went into the chamber, and then she heard you screaming. She said you called my name. She thought you were dead. We all did. But we forced ourselves to keep going, we had to. And then you came running in here at the last minute; covered in blood, but alive. So, so alive." He shifted so he could look her in the eye, but kept her close, tear streaks visible on his own face.

Lyssa's face twisted. "Blood? What -?"

His hand came up to stroke her cheek. "You came running in, blood splashed all over. I left it for the time being, just to focus on you being alive, but... you're hurt, Lyssa. Pretty badly. We need to get you to the TARDIS so we can treat you."

Lyssa pulled away from him slightly, only then noticing the traces of blood on his coat. Frowning, she looked down at herself, only to gasp at the sight. Blood was splashed all over her jeans, her boots, her hands, and spread upwards to her wrists and forearms. And judging from the Doctor's coat, she had managed to get it on her face as well. No wonder the Doctor thought she was hurt. She looked like - well, like she had just survived a massacre.

The thought was too much for her. Lurching out of the Doctor's arms, she barely made it to a nearby trash can that had somehow survived the day's events, and proceeded to lose the contents of her stomach into it, retching violently. The Doctor quickly followed her, pulling her loose strands of hair back out of the way and rubbing her back soothingly until she was finished.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked quietly, handing her an unopened water bottle. She took it gratefully and rinsed her mouth, spitting it into the wastebasket as well.

"It's not - it's not my blood," she managed to croak after a few failed attempts. "In the upgrading room, there was all this - I slipped and fell, and, and -" she couldn't force herself to go on. The Doctor's face darkened with understanding.

"It's all right. I understand," he murmured soothingly, tugging her backwards onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Pulling out a handkerchief, he wet it with the water bottle, and began to gently scrub at the blood drying on her hands.

"It - it was so horrible," she gasped, feeling new tears slip down her cheeks and fall to the floor, some of them stained a light pink from the blood on her face. "I couldn't - I couldn't -"

"It's all right. I know."

She turned her head to the side and shut her eyes tightly, unable to bear looking at him wiping away the blood that stained her hands. They might have won, defeated almost impossible odds, and stopped millions of Daleks and Cybermen combined. But there, sitting on the floor, covered in the blood of innocent people and having just lost a good friend... It didn't feel like they had won.

It felt like they had lost.

* * *

 **A/N: So... *coughs awkwardly like I didn't just write an incredibly angsty chapter* How's your day been going? 0:D**

 **Also, good luck guessing who either of the two mysterious characters are that "saved" Lyssa are. (the little boy doesn't count. He's an anomaly)**

 **Anyways... Due to me needing him for various nefarious purposes that can't be revealed yet, the Master will be around for a while (so to speak - I'm not planning on having him come around very often. Despite me needing him, I really, really hate him. So we'll only see him when it's absolutely necessary) - which means no Missy, unless you guys want me to still include her, and just have her be another homicidal psychopath. (I don't know why, but I like her loads more than the Master. Is it the accent? I think its the accent). So, voting time! (so to speak): Do you still want Missy around, or would you rather I just wipe her from existence "accidentally"? (Such a shame that bombs tend to go off ahead of schedule) Let me know!**

 **And, special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to E-man-dy-S, Fakira, and Guest for reviewing!**

 ** _E-man-dy-S: I actually was able to find the duplication this time (I think my glasses need glasses) and was hopefully able to fix it. Thanks for pointing it out! And, uh... I hope you enjoy this chapter, lol. Pay no mind to all their pain. Thanks for reviewing! :)  
_**

 ** _Fakira: Aww, I love hearing that my readers like my story! :D There are a few stories I do that to, so hearing that it happens to mine is amazing. :) And yeah... I'm basing Lyssa a little bit off of me (not completely, there are some definite differences, lol), and I know that if I had ended up in Doomsday I would have been a complete mess. Lyssa's not that bad, but I think she definitely deserves at least a little bit of a panic attack. And there's actually a hint to Lyssa's character - or rather, what's been done to it - in here (that's probably so obscure no one will ever be able to even find it until I explain that completely lol), more on that later on. ;) And there's definitely a reason that Doomsday happened as early as it did. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter! :)  
_**

 ** _Guest: Yeah, even I felt sorry for her in this chapter... I gave her a little bit of closure here, and was a little bit nicer to her (technically, Lyssa was). Being converted would be an awful way to go. Thanks for reviewing! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Only Lyssa is mine.**


	25. Chapter 25 - As Long As I Have You

She didn't know how long they sat there, her with silent tears streaming down her face, and him just quietly scrubbing at all the blood on her hands. But at some point he sighed and put down the stained handkerchief, squeezing her still-red hands with his own.

"Do you want to go back to the TARDIS?" His voice was soft, and hesitant. As if he feared to break the silence that had fallen over the large room that used to hold so much life and now held almost none. She leaned her heavy head against his chest and nodded, unable to find the words to speak. He paused before asking his next question. "Do you think you can walk?"

She contemplated the question for a moment, wondering if she would be able to will her shaky legs to hold her. She felt so weak and tired and just plain empty that it seemed to take a great deal of effort just to reopen her eyes every time she blinked instead of just leaving them closed forever. She glanced down at her feet, but hastily shut her eyes and turned her face towards his coat, feeling bile start to rise up into her throat again at the sight of the blood that had soaked through her jeans and dripped down her boots.

"It's all right, Lyssa. You don't have to say anything," he reassured her, sounding pained. Placing his arms under her back, and under her knees, he carefully stood to his feet with a grunt. Lyssa didn't really react, only gripping the lapels of his coat tighter and trying to avoid the blood she had accidentally rubbed on it earlier. She kept her eyes firmly shut as he carried her through the maze of hallways and rooms back to wherever Torchwood had put the TARDIS.

She heard him struggle briefly with the key to open it, before pushing open the door, then shutting it firmly behind him. Without putting her down, he starting up the TARDIS, sending them somewhere - anywhere - besides Canary Wharf. Once they were safely away from the place that would likely haunt both their nightmares, he carried Lyssa through her room and into her bathroom, carefully setting her down in the bathtub.

Her fingers seemed frozen to his coat, and fresh tears trickled down her face as he gently worked to remove them before taking off his own bloodstained coat and tossing it off to the side. Then he removed her boots, careful to avoid touching the various blood drops and stains scattered across them, placing them with his coat. Turning the shower on to a gentle stream of warm water, he grabbed a clean washcloth the TARDIS had provided and some soap, and began to wash her face and arms, a pensive look on his face.

After several minutes, Lyssa managed to gather enough energy to place her hand on his, stopping him instantly as his eyes met hers. She tried to tell him what she wanted, but the words refused to come.

Maybe it was better this way. If she starting talking, she might start screaming too, and never stop. Or maybe her body had decided that she had already screamed enough today, and refused to do anymore. Either way, he at least seemed to understand what she wanted, as she tugged at her now thoroughly soaked tunic with pleading eyes, and stood to his feet.

"I'll be right back," he assured her. "I'm not leaving you, I'm just going to grab you some clean clothes, all right?"

She nodded, allowing the still-flowing warm water to run over her and ease some of the aches from the day, although it couldn't begin to touch the most painful ones. She felt her heart clench in her chest when the Doctor stepped out of the room, felt the panic beginning to rise, and half expected at any moment to see a Cyberman appear around the corner, ready to drag her off to her fate.

But the Doctor reappeared a moment later, bearing a towel, a hairbrush, and a small pile of clothes neatly folded up. He set all the items neatly on the edge of the sink, then moved over to her, taking her cold hand in his and rubbing his thumb over it soothingly.

"I don't think you have the energy to stand long enough to take a shower. Are you all right with taking a bath? I've got some new clothes for you by the sink, and I'll be waiting in your room for you once you're done. Do you think you can handle that?"

She looked at him, then nodded slowly. She barely felt strong enough to do that; there was no way she would be able to stand long enough for a shower. He squeezed her hand once more, reiterated his promise that he would be right outside, then left, clearly as reluctant to leave as she was to let him.

Once he was gone, she swallowed hard before forcing herself to sit on the edge of the bathtub, where she stripped off her sopping clothing, and flung them to join the rest of her discarded clothes. She didn't care what happened to them, having no desire to see any of those clothes ever again. Her hands found her necklace, still sitting delicately on her neck with its sole snowflake charm. Her fingers stroked it as she waited for the tub to fill, taking comfort from the small proof that the Doctor was there for her, and reminding herself that he wouldn't leave her alone.

The water was just shy of being too hot, and helped soothe her aches and bruises further, although she didn't linger. She quickly rinsed, glad to see that there was no sign of blood on her skin, and drained the tub, rising to her feet and drying off with a wince. She slowly made her way over to the sink, vaguely noting that there was no sign of the clothes from earlier, although she hadn't seen them disappear.

She threw on the clothes, grateful to the Doctor for picking out her softest pair of socks and pajamas, and slid her feet into a soft pair of slippers. Grabbing her hairbrush, she stepped out into her bedroom, towel underneath her still-wet hair.

The Doctor was sitting on her bed, fiddling with the blanket, his eyes far away. His hair was slightly damp, and if she had to guess, she'd say that he was probably wearing all new clothes as well, for the same reasons as her. He looked relieved when she appeared, although his shoulders were still hunched, as if bearing a great burden.

"Lyssa!" He noticed the hairbrush in her hand. "Do you need help brushing it?" She glanced down at her hand, almost having forgotten she was carrying it, then shrugged slightly, not really up to caring what happened to her hair at this point. She moved slowly over to the bed, then sank down onto it gratefully.

"Here. Let me brush your hair for you. It'll be hard for you to get at all of it when you're this tired," he murmured, scooting so he was sitting behind her and taking the brush from her limp fingers, then beginning to slowly run it through her hair, stopping when he came to a tangle and taking his time to work through it. He was slow and methodical in his work, and used the towel to help dry her hair, brushing it thoroughly before and after, and Lyssa felt slightly more like herself by the time that he was done.

Enough so that, once he had finished and placed the brush on the table by her bed, dropping the now-damp towel on the floor, she was able to offer him a weak smile that probably made her failed attempts from before it had all happened look like a wide grin. Still, the way his expression lightened made her feel like she'd just told him that the TARDIS had taken on physical form and wanted to talk to him.

"Do you feel up to walking to the Infirmary?" he asked her. "I know you don't think you were hurt, but it would have been easy for you to miss something in all the... craziness of the day." She didn't really want to move, especially since she knew she was fine. He could see the look in her eyes, and nodded reluctantly in acceptance.

"It's all right if you don't want to, I just..." His eyes looked away, reliving a dark memory. "I thought you were dead. And then you came in all -" He winced, and Lyssa shuddered, remembering her horrific discovery of the way she had looked. "Looking the way you did," he continued diplomatically. "And I'd just... it'd really make me feel easier if I knew that you really were all right. Please, Lyssa?"

It was a total guilt trip. Including the way his deep brown eyes stared pleadingly into hers. Add in the expression his face had taken when he'd mentioned believing her to be dead - a look she never wanted to see on his face, it made her want to cry for him every time she saw it - and she gave in. The small part of her brain that was still functioning normally told her it was a logical request anyways, and she'd probably do the same if their circumstances had been reversed. She sighed, but gave a small nod, her own lips twitching briefly when he smiled at her in relief.

Guessing correctly that she probably wouldn't be able to walk all the way back to the Infirmary, even if the TARDIS helped and shifted the rooms around, the Doctor scooped her back into his arms and carried her out of the room. She nestled into the added security gratefully, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes, glad when no image of the day's horrors seared itself into her brain, and soothed by the steady beat of his hearts.

She woke with a panicked gasp when her body was laid on another bed, her eyes shooting open as she searched the room for the threat. A hand was laid on her forehead, gently stroking the hair out of her face and sending warmth through her head, easing the headache she had been trying to ignore ever since she woke up in the stairwell.

"It's all right, Lyssa. It's just me," the Doctor said, his face appearing in her line of vision and calming her racing heart. "We're in the Infirmary, and you were asleep, so I just laid you down on one of the beds to take a quick scan. Is that all right?" She nodded, eyes following his movements as he opened one of the nearby drawers, shuffling through its contents before pulling out the scanner she recognized from one of her previous trips to the Infirmary, back when she still had her cast on her hand.

He ran it over her, frowning when it emitted a shrill beeping sound over her heart, before waving the scanner above her chest again. The beeping sound repeated, causing his forehead to wrinkle in frustration. He met her eyes and read the worried look she gave him easily.

"Don't worry, it's nothing too bad, it's just..." he glared at the scanner, as if it was to blame for the readings it gave him. "Nothing good either. This," he said, waving the scanner in the air, "is telling me that for some reason your body's been depleted of several of the nutrients it needs, and, also for some reason, the time in your body has as well. Which partially explains the weakness, at least. You might not be jumping for a bit," he warned her. She nodded weakly, her eyelid feeling heavy. She was growing more and more sleepy, but was still hesitant of what she might find when she closed her eyes.

"I think you're going to need to stay here for the night, Lyssa," the Doctor told her reluctantly.

Her eyes shot open as her body tensed up. She would probably be facing horrid nightmares, and she really didn't want to have to deal with sleeping in a new room that bore a large and very unfortunate similar appearance to the Cybermen's chamber - regardless of whether or not it was in the TARDIS.

"Just for tonight," he reassured her hastily. "I would give you a small infusion of the nutrients you need, that would help restore your energy quicker, and that would just slowly enter your bloodstream throughout the night. I would also be here," he added, making her relax somewhat. "I won't be sleeping tonight, and I have some things I could work on in here anyways."

She nodded reluctantly. At least she wouldn't be alone in the room, though she wasn't really looking forward to getting stabbed with an IV needle either. She knew they left large bruises at the site of insertion, and she really didn't want to see blood again. Ever.

But that wasn't what the Doctor did. At least, that's not what it felt like. He did have to give her a shot on her right arm with what looked like an IV needle, but there wasn't any blood, and it hadn't hurt at all, contrary to what she had heard. Then he'd connected it to a bag on a stand, filled with a clear liquid that seemed to shimmer slightly, making her wonder if it would glow in the dark.

By the time he was finished, her eyelids were growing heavier and heavier, and taking longer to open each time, but she still forced them to open, afraid that if she closed them for too long, he would be gone the next time she opened them. He finished whatever he was working on and pulled up a chair next to her bedside, draping a warm blanket over her before sitting down, holding some futuristic version of a tablet in his hands.

"Go to sleep, fairy-girl," he told her. "I'll be right here."

She closed her eyes obediently, flinching when the lights in the room went out. Her eyes flashed open again immediately, wide with panic, only to find that there was still light in the room. A dim golden light that allowed her to make out the Doctor still sitting calmly next to her, though he was clearly keeping an eye on her as well, but not so bright that it would keep her from sleeping. She closed her eyes again and nestled into the pillow, hoping that the light and the Doctor's presence would be enough to at least keep her from dreaming.

But it wasn't.

She didn't know how long it had been before she woke up screaming, but judging from the state of the IV bag, it had not been that long, as it was about half full and she still felt incredibly weak. But the Doctor was there immediately, squeezing her hand tightly, and bending over her, shaking her shoulders and trying to get her to wake up. But waking brought no relief from the nightmares, however, as the images had come from her memories, which were still as clear and frightening as ever.

Really, she might as well have just relived the day, because that was what had happened. Only this time, she hadn't been able to escape in the upgrading chamber. She had seen the saws heading for her again, had tried to run away, and had only felt a sharp pain in her arm that kept her firmly in place. Now that she was slightly more coherent, she realized she could still feel the pain, and glanced down. Apparently she had been thrashing around in her sleep, and had moved enough that it had tugged on the IV line still attached to her arm.

The Doctor followed her gaze and winced, seeing a little bit of blood seeping out around the edges of the needle from her violent jerks. He quickly reached down and fiddled with it slightly, adjusting it, and causing the pain to quickly fade. Then he pulled out a small wipe from a nearby drawer and carefully cleaned up the little bit of blood, disposing of the wipe properly and washing his hands quickly before returning to his seat, taking Lyssa's hand in his.

This time, instead of telling her to go back to sleep, he just kept her hand in his and held the tablet in the other, and began to talk in a quiet, soothing tone about whatever he was working on. She just lay there quietly, watching him work, and taking comfort from the solid, reassuring weight of his hand holding hers. Eventually her eyelids began to grow heavy again, and her free hand crept up to clutch her snowflake charm tightly.

The Doctor noticed her returning sleepiness, and switched from his long-winded explanation to a low, calming melody, similar to the one he had sung when they were back on Cuhlhan. Just as before, she couldn't quite make out the words to the song, though the melody itself was soothing enough that she soon dropped back off to a thankfully dreamless sleep.

In the morning when she woke up, her IV bag was almost empty, and the Doctor was still holding her hand, although he was bent over his tablet and tapping madly at it with his free hand. He looked up at her and grinned when he saw she was awake, putting the tablet off to the side on another table.

"You're awake! How are you feeling? Do you still feel weak, or is it a little better?"

She considered his question. She definitely felt more like herself than she had yesterday, though she also still felt considerably weaker than normal. Strong enough to move around a bit, perhaps, if she took it slow.

"I feel a little bit better," she said, her voice sounding croaky. "Not a whole lot better, but enough that I think I could maybe walk around for a bit."

The Doctor nodded, pulling out the scanner from last night and waving it over her, looking considerably relieved when the beeping was much less pronounced when he waved it over her chest this time.

"It looks like the transfusions have been working. You're still not up to your usual levels, and it will take a bit for the time levels in your body to return to normal, so you probably won't be jumping any time soon, like I said, but they're on the climb. You'll just need to take it easy for the next few days, or there's an increased chance of you getting sick with something nasty, all right?"

She nodded. "Is there anything I really need to watch out for, or do? Do I need any more transfusions or anything?"

He shook his head. "You won't need any more transfusions, the IV was to basically kick-start your system. There will be a few pills you'll need to take at certain intervals throughout the day to help your body maintain the current levels, and fair warning, they'll taste a bit like stale bread, but you should be done with the treatments by tonight, and your body should be back to normal soon. Although I don't know how long it will take for the time levels to return, as I don't know what caused them to drop in the first place."

Lyssa frowned, remembering when that had happened the first time. "Am I going to be seeing different timestreams and stuff when I jump again? 'Cause that's what happened the last time I didn't jump for a while, and it was kind of annoying. I couldn't make sense of half of what I was seeing, and had no idea what I was even seeing until you explained it to me, and I had to stay in the TARDIS during an alien invasion because I couldn't even see straight." She crossed her arms and huffed. "And those were interesting aliens, too. I even missed out on one of your epic speeches because I passed out from lack of air after the TARDIS stopped working."

"I'm sorry, what?" The Doctor stared at her in bemusement before shaking his head fondly. "Well, firstly, I don't rightly know for sure. Like I said earlier, I don't know what caused them to drop in the first place, and we don't know how long you're going to be here. I'm assuming that was your first time having a prolonged lapse before jumping, so your body had an extreme reaction to burn off the extra time energy that built up. We have no idea how long you're going to be here, nor how long it will take your levels to return to normal."

He tilted his head to the side thoughtfully, his lips twitching in amusement. "As for missing one of my 'epic speeches,' I'm sure you'll be around to hear plenty more of them. And even so, you could always ask my future self to just repeat it for you. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to say yes. And since you knew that I was going to deliver a speech anyways, despite you being unconscious - something that rather concerns me, as you seem to have an absurd attraction to the Infirmary - you probably know what I was going to say."

Lyssa glared at the Doctor, wrinkling her nose at the look of amusement he was trying - and failing - to hide. "No, you wouldn't. You're all grumpy and, 'Don't be lasagna,' in the future," she informed him, with a terrible replica of a Scottish accent that would have disappointed both Amy and the Doctor she had been imitating. "And I couldn't ask you to just repeat it anyways. It would sound way less dramatic without the terrified and defeated bad guys cowering and on the run. And just because I know the gist of what's going to happen doesn't mean I'm going to remember everything."

"Was- was that supposed to be a Scottish accent?" the Doctor asked, his voice shaking with the effort to hide his laughter. "And 'Don't be lasagna'? Really? What on earth is that supposed to mean?"

"Like you could do better," she huffed, conveniently ignoring the fact that back home, his character had been played by a Scottish actor, and that he himself would be Scottish in the future. "And how am I supposed to know what it means? You're the one who said it!"

He rolled his eyes in amusement. "I'll have you know I can pull off an excellent Scottish accent," he informed her, utilizing said skill and pulling it off to perfection. "And I haven't said it yet, so clearly I don't know what context I was saying it in. Therefore, I can't know what point I was trying to get across."

"Don't be reasonable with me!" she pouted, looking away when the Doctor finally broke down and laughed, really, truly laughed, for the first time since she had realized where she had landed. She couldn't help a small smile though, and felt a small part of the ache that had been hiding in her heart start to chip away, making her feel just a little bit lighter.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh at the poor bed-ridden victim," she complained. "So can I get up now? I need to use the bathroom."

"That would mean you were no longer bed-ridden," the Doctor pointed out. "But it's up to you. Do you think you can walk to the bathroom?"

Well, she thought she could. It turns out that putting that belief into practice took a bit more doing. She needed the Doctor's help to even stand up straight once her feet hit the floor, and she was leaning on him far more than she would have liked during the short trip across the room, pulling the IV stand along with her. The Doctor was waiting for her once she was done, with a strange expression on his face, like what he was about to say was unpleasant, though he waited until she was back on the bed to speak.

"You don't need to stay in here any longer, but you probably won't be strong enough to get around on your own until tomorrow at the earliest. Would you rather spend the day in one location, have me carry you, or," he grimaced, "use a wheelchair?"

"Uh..." Her mind blanked. A wheelchair meant she could go where she wanted on her own, if she was able to push the wheels. But she really just didn't want to be alone. "Maybe you could just carry me to some room that's quiet and peaceful, and we could just stay there?" She saw the look on his face and quickly backtracked. "Not that you have to stay there if you don't want to, you could go somewhere else and just come back in a few hours, or something."

He shook his head, looking strangely relieved, a small smile on his face. "No. I'd like to stick with you, if that's all right." Perhaps she nodded a bit too eagerly, too quickly, but considering the way his face lit up, she couldn't find it in herself to be embarrassed about it. "I know the perfect place to take you, we can even have a picnic!"

She wrinkled her nose at the mention of food, not feeling very hungry at all, but he saw it and shook his head at her, his face sympathetic but determined.

"I know you don't feel like eating right now. I don't either. But you need to keep your strength up, and eating will help you recover quicker." She grumbled reluctant agreement. "Thank you. Now, I'm going to take this IV off of you, so hold on just a tick..." He trailed off and fiddled with the needle in her arm connected to the IV bag. In a moment, it was off, and he had placed a band-aid covered with bananas over the small wound, making her shake her head and smile at him.

"All right, that's done, now let's get you back to your room. You can change really quick, then we'll stop by the kitchen." When she nodded, he scooped her up carefully into his arms, then set off for her room, the TARDIS making sure to open up all the doors necessary, and already having the clothes laid out for her on her bed. A purple sundress was laying on the bed, with a pair of matching ballet flats next to it.

"Wow," Lyssa muttered as the Doctor set her down on the bed, fingering the soft material. "Think the TARDIS will ever take up fashion designing if she decides to stop traveling?" The Doctor snorted, but didn't deign to give her comment an answer, leaving the room and shutting the door to give her privacy as she changed quickly. The dress came down just past her knees, and, as usual, fit her perfectly.

She called to the Doctor that he could come back in, and was in the middle of trying to pull her hair back into a pony when he came in, only to have to give up when her arms grew too tired. However, the Doctor seemed to have varied skills, and was able to expertly braid her hair into a crown braid, grinning when he saw the look on her face.

"Nine hundred years of time and space, and you think I can't braid your hair?" he teased. "Think again."

She snorted as he picked her up again, and carried her to the kitchen, where the TARDIS had set a small picnic basket on the table that the Doctor was able to pick up without trouble, then set off for the secret room he kept teasing her about. He told her to close her eyes once they reached the room, then shut the door behind them once they were inside.

He set her down for a moment, telling her to keep her eyes closed, and she reluctantly obeyed, feeling grass tickle her legs and hearing water trickling nearby. Then he picked her back up again, and set her down on a softer surface, most likely a blanket, arranged himself next to her, and told her to open her eyes, a note of gleeful anticipation in his voice.

She opened her eyes, and gasped.

The first thing she saw was the red grass. In the distance, she could see silver leaves glistening on trees, and even further, red mountains capped with glistening white snow. The sky was a gleaming blue that reminded her of home, and two suns were visible, though not so bright as to blind them. And a few yards away, was a clear pool of water, being filled by a relatively small waterfall pouring over the top of a small wall that formed a half circle around the pool, made of rock that seemed to be of all different colors, before the pool itself emptied over another waterfall. It was almost like...

"This is a combination of Earth and Gallifrey," the Doctor's voice said in her ear, his voice low and hiding emotion. "You showed this room to me shortly after the Time War, and it was one of the greatest gifts you've ever given me. But it wasn't quite right."

"Why not?" Lyssa asked, turning to look at him, her eyes wide at the realization that she was seeing part of Gallifrey. "Is it because it had some of Earth in it, too?"

He shook his head. "No. Back then, it was all Gallifrey. And that was the problem. It showed my old home, but not yours. And without you... it wasn't home. So I added a little bit, and made it ours. The grass and the leaves are from Gallifrey, as are the two suns." He waved a hand at the mountains. "But the sky, and the water, the beauty found in nature... that was all from Earth."

"So this..."

"This is ours," the Doctor told her, draping an arm around her shoulder. "This is something only we know about, and it's where we can come when we need to escape. It's always peaceful here, and only rains if we want it to. The light and beauty here is untouched by what happens elsewhere. So no matter what happens, I always know that there's at least a little bit of home still waiting for me. And as long as you're here," he added, his eyes unbearably sad for some reason as he looked at her, "I'm home."

She didn't know how to respond to that - how could she? And why did he look so sad? - so she just laid her head on his shoulder and looked at the water flowing past, soothed by the peaceful sound. After a while, she just said quietly,

"And you're mine," and left it at that. He didn't say anything else, and neither did she, just sitting quietly and watching the water flow and the silver leaves in the distance flutter as a breeze blew past.

They sat that way for several hours, long enough that she only hesitated slightly when the Doctor told her that she needed to eat. She also got a small pill to swallow that, like the Doctor had warned her, tasted like stale bread. But the TARDIS had provided chocolate milk for her, so she didn't complain more than she was obligated to. They ended up staying long enough that the suns began to set, the two sunsets painting the sky a brilliant shade of colors that reflected onto the water, transforming it into a shimmery explosion of colors.

When it got a little chilly, the Doctor pulled out another blanket and draped it over Lyssa, giving her another pill to go along with it as they ate their dinner. Then they laid back on the blanket and watched the stars come out, forming some constellations that she recognized from her world, and some that she had never seen before, but that the Doctor had grown up seeing. She ended up falling asleep there on the blanket, and woke up the next morning, a smile on her face when she saw the Doctor had evidently started another project - as there was a pile of _something_ lying next to his face, currently shoved into the blanket by her feet.

She honestly felt much better by the time he woke up - a brilliant smile on his face when he saw where they were, but she also felt something pressing on her, and knew what they needed to do. He agreed, when she told him, his own smile falling. The day before had been what they both needed - an escape from reality, but it could only be temporary, as there were things they both needed to do.

She was feeling much stronger, but still had trouble walking for long periods of time, so the Doctor gave her another pill and carried her back to the console room, where she sat on the chair keeping him company while he set up what he needed to. After several hours, he came to stand before her, a serious look on his face.

"It's ready."

She swallowed hard and nodded, joining him by the console, staring at the wall in front of her. He pressed a button on the console, then stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, as if trying to lend her his strength.

A moment later, Rose Tyler appeared in front of them, her form translucent, but so clearly alive, the faint background of a rocky beach behind her. Lyssa felt her eyes fill with tears at the sight, Rose looking just as emotional.

"Where are you?"

"In the TARDIS," the Doctor told her solemnly. "There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a supernova." He laughed softly. "I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

Rose shook her head, her own eyes filling up with tears. "You look like a ghost."

"Hang on." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the console. After a moment, Rose's image cleared until it looked like she was standing in front of them, which just made Lyssa's heart ache all the more as she walked over to them, lifting a hand towards Lyssa's face.

"Can I touch -?" Her voice trailed off hopefully.

"We're still just an image," the Doctor told her regretfully. "No touch."

"Can't you come through properly?"

"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

"So?" Rose protested, only half joking.

The Doctor smiled slightly, tightening his hold on Lyssa before looking around. "Where are we? Where did the gap come out?"

"Norway," Rose said softly.

"Norway. Right," the Doctor said, nodding sagely.

"About fifty miles out of Bergen. It's called 'Darlig Ulv Stranden'." Rose said with a weak smile.

"Dalek?" the Doctor recoiled.

"Darl-IG," Rose corrected. "It's Norwegian for bad. This translates as Bad Wolf Bay."

The Doctor sucked in a breath, pulling Lyssa further against him, but shook his head when she looked up at him. "Talk about irony."

"How long have we got?" Rose asked, her voice cracking.

"About two minutes," the Doctor said regretfully.

"I can't think of what to say!" Rose said, almost laughing, before shaking her head and sighing. "Mum's pregnant. She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."

"And what about you? Are you..." the Doctor trailed off curiously.

"Yeah, I'm back at the shop," Rose said casually.

The Doctor nodded, his brow crinkling slightly at the news. "Oh. Well that's good. Good for you."

Rose laughed. "Shut up. No, I'm not. There's still a Torchwood on this planet, it's open for business." Her eyes filled with tears again. "I think I know a thing or two about aliens."

The Doctor smiled at her proudly. "Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth." He paused, then looked down. "You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead." Lyssa felt the ache in her heart grow again as Rose began to cry. The Doctor continued to speak, his voice pained. "Here you are. Living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have."

Rose began sobbing in earnest. "Am I ever going to see you again?"

The Doctor started to speak, but Lyssa cut him off, speaking for the first time. "Did you open that bag the TARDIS sent with you, Rose?"

"N-no," Rose sniffed. "I'd completely forgotten about it. Should I open it?"

Lyssa nodded, a tear of her own trickling down her face. "I think you'll like what's inside. And I can tell you this. We will see each other again one day, Rose Tyler. It will be several years for you, and you'll have to work at it, but the day will come when we'll see each other again, and we'll both be able to hug you for real. So you just hang on, and keep defending the Earth, Rose Tyler. Because this is not the end." Tears were spilling over both of their cheeks now, but she couldn't stop. "So you keep on being amazing. We'll see you again."

A shocked smile broke out on Rose's face, through the tears. "I love you both," she blurted out. "You two are my best friends, so don't you dare do anything stupid, or I'll give you both a right slap when I see you again," she threatened tearfully.

The Doctor nodded seriously. "I give you my solemn oath that I will look after Lyssa." He cracked a smile. "I don't want to be slapped again if I can help it."

"We love you too, Rose," Lyssa interceded, her voice breaking, knowing their time was almost up. "And we'll see you again. So, until the next time... Goodbye, Rose Tyler."

"Goodbye, Doctor. Goodbye, Lyssa," Rose said, fighting vainly against fresh tears, struggling to smile.

"Rose," the Doctor started. Lyssa glanced up at him, hoping he wouldn't start the sentence that was never finished and always broke her heart. "I suppose, if it's my last chance to say it for now, then... Goodbye, Rose Tyler."

The moment after he had finished, Rose's teary image vanished into thin air, leaving them alone in the TARDIS.

* * *

 **A/N: So this ended up being a lot longer, and somewhat less angsty than I thought it would be. But I decided to give the Doctor at least some of the closure that we were all denied in the show. *sobs***

 **So, the verdict seems to be keep Missy, so there'll be another homicidal maniac floating around, keep an eye out for her... Also, no one's figured out who the two characters who saved Lyssa are, so I'll give another hint... My comment about a misdirection last chapter was a misdirection. ;)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout out to twojj, E-man-dy-S, Fakira, V (I'm assuming all the guest reviews were from you, as they came around the same time).**

 **ALSO, GUYS: WE'RE NOW AT OVER 20,000 VIEWS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! (I have such awesome readers :D)**

 ** _twojj: Missy will be around for a while, though I can't promise when she'll show up. Thanks for your input! :)  
_**

 ** _E-man-dy-S: Hmm, maybe my hint will help? I might still give a sneak peek if no one can guess, so we'll see... Thanks for reviewing! :)  
_**

 ** _Fakira: Aww, thanks! I hated Doomsday too, and I was not super thrilled about having to go through it all again for these last few chapters. Darn you, Steven Moffat! :P As for the mystery... I added another hint, although looking back, I can tell that I was not super clear (Although when I first wrote it, I was worried that everyone was going to figure it out immediately, and be like, 'that was so obvious.' lol. And thanks for your input! And don't shame your writing too much, we all have to start somewhere. And some, like me, are still learning. I just recently found out that a lot of these chapters, which I thought had been edited, hadn't - at least, not the way I wanted them to be. :P Which means I'm going to need to go and fix them, because otherwise they're going to be bothering me. Anyways, thanks for your review! Hope you liked this chapter! :)  
_**

 ** _V: Your review made me laugh so hard... Here's the new update, as requested... (I don't know if i deserve such awesome readers/reviewers, though. your review seriously made my day. It was awesome, so thanks!  
_ _(Again, assuming all the reviews were from you): Your reviews were amazing, and I loved reading every single one of them. A lot of them made me laugh, and decide that you are an awesome human being (As are all my reviewers, just saying) I don't plan on stopping writing any time soon... I have lots of plans for this story! And I may or may not have plans for writing an actual book at some point way down the line (I want to finish my current stories first, though.) Overall, thank you so much for your reviews, I love hearing from my readers. And I hope you liked this new chapter!_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, only Lyssa.**


	26. Chapter 26 - The Runaway Bride, Part 1

Lyssa broke down in tears, no longer willing or able to hold them back now that Rose was gone. The Doctor turned her around in his arms, rubbing her back soothingly.

"It's all right," he murmured. "We'll both see her again someday, you probably sooner then me. She's not gone forever."

Lyssa shook her head, keeping her eyes tightly shut as she buried her face in his chest. "Yeah, but she has to wait several years, and so do you. And they won't be easy years, either."

Her eyes glazed over slightly as she thought about the traumatic Year That Never Was. That would be an awful jump, and one she was looking forward to even less than she had this one. Actually, she hadn't even really thought about this one at all. Or any of the episodes that she might have wanted to change. She sniffed and hugged the Doctor tighter, thinking about all the future episodes that ended with nothing but loss.

He held her closer and rested his head on hers, both of them closing their eyes in the silent TARDIS where quiet now meant loss rather than peace. In their pain, neither of them noticed gold dust swirling around in the TARDIS, slowly taking the shape of a red-headed woman wearing a wedding dress who looked around the room in growing shock and horror.

Finally the Doctor released her, pushing back slightly with a heavy sigh and wiping at some of the tear tracks on her cheeks with his thumb before swiping his own hands at his eyes and moving to the console, though he took her hand in his. He ran his fingers over some of the levers without any of the enthusiasm he normally had, not yet pushing any of them. Evidently hearing some noise, he looked up over by the door and sucked in a shocked breath, tightening his hand around hers. Frowning, she followed his gaze, raising her eyebrows at the sight of the bride.

"What?" he declared, aghast. The woman turned around at the noise, then yelped in surprise. "What?" the Doctor repeated again, even more confused.

The bride stared at him in disdain. "Who are you?"

The Doctor looked around, dumbfounded, his hand tightening on Lyssa's. "But..."

"Where am I?" the bride demanded.

"What?"

"What on earth is this place?" she yelled, growing irate.

The Doctor could only stare at her, lost. "What?" He stared down at a dial, his bewilderment only growing. "You can't do that, I wasn't... We're in flight! That is... that is physically impossible! How did you...?"

"Tell me where I am!" the bride commanded. "I demand you tell me where I am, right now!"

He just continued to stare at her disbelievingly. "Inside the TARDIS." Lyssa wiped her eyes with her free hand and felt a weak smile start to grow on her lips at the back and forth between the two who would later grow to be best friends.

"The what?"

"The TARDIS," the Doctor repeated.

"The what?" the bride demanded again, clearly wanting her own turn at a round of 'whats'.

"The TARDIS!" the Doctor emphasized, growing slightly impatient, turning back to the controls in an effort to figure out what had happened.

"The what?" She still wasn't getting it.

"It's called the TARDIS," the Doctor explained, not looking up at her.

"That's not even a proper word! You're just saying things," she told him angrily.

He spun around to face her. "How did you get in here?"

The poor bride was practically stiff, anger radiating from her body. "Well, obviously, when you kidnapped me. Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh my gosh, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it."

The Doctor shook his head in bewilderment. "Who's Nerys?" Then, not even listening to her scornful rejoinder, he barreled on. "Hold on, wait a minute. What are you dressed all like that for?" Somewhat hidden behind the Doctor and the rotor, Lyssa smacked her face into her hand. Only the Doctor could be so oblivious about something as obvious as that.

"I'm going ten pin bowling," the woman said sarcastically. "What do you think, Dumbo?" she yelled. "I was halfway up the aisle!" She began to pace around ranting, while the Doctor fiddled with the controls, as if blaming them for his current predicament, although his hand tightened on Lyssa's when she tried to pull away so that he could have both hands free. She gave in and wound her fingers through his once more, not complaining at the continued sense of security.

"I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away! And then you... I dunno, you drugged me or something!" Donna was still going strong, ignoring the Doctor's protests that he was innocent. "We're having the police on you! Me and my husband, as soon as he is my husband, we're gonna sue the living daylights out of ya!"

Lyssa's hand flew up to her mouth to prevent a giggle from coming out in a moment of extremely bad timing. The extra moment drew Donna's attention to her, and seeing the way she looked - tear streaks running down her face, half hidden behind the Doctor, and her hand covering her mouth in a way that could have been covering up horror as well as laughter - Donna reacted.

"I'm not the only one you've kidnapped, am I?" she accused in horror, staring at Lyssa. The Doctor and Lyssa both looked up, Lyssa shaking her head in denial and confusion.

"He hasn't kidnapped me," Lyssa started.

"What? I haven't kidnapped anyone! Especially not -!" Donna cut him off, lunging forward to pull Lyssa away from the supposed kidnapper.

"I'm not letting you hurt anyone else!" she snarled, gripping Lyssa's shoulder and yanking her away from the Doctor, both of them too startled to react immediately. Unfortunately for her, she had grabbed the same shoulder that the Cybermen had, though her grip was not nearly as bruising, and had far better intentions. Already emotionally unstable, and barely two days after the event, the pain and firm hold on her shoulder bent on tearing her away from the Doctor only sent Lyssa back into the dark memories still so fresh in her mind.

Panic coursed through her as she twisted away, trying to flee from the Cybermen, her breaths growing erratic. She couldn't make out most of her surroundings, but she could see the sharp saws waiting for her, could smell the blood that seemed to have permanently etched itself into her brain, could hear the screams of the other victims - or maybe it was just her own screams. She didn't know anymore. She didn't know why they weren't coming after her, curled up in the corner with her hands over her ears to block out the screams. Surely she was easily visible.

But slowly, slowly, the screams diminished, replaced by the sound of a comforting voice uttering soothing, meaningless words, the horrific smell of blood replaced by a familiar scent her mind simply labeled as 'home', and the cold metal that threatened so much was replaced by a protective body that was wrapped around her, blocking out any hints of danger. Still keeping her hands planted over her ears, she reluctantly opened first one eye, then the other, afraid of what she might find.

She was in the TARDIS, safely nestled up against the wall, and she could see that she was sitting on someone's lap, curled up into their chest while they were running their hands over her back and arms soothingly. She could make out a hint of a white dress that rustled every so often in the corner of her vision but came no closer, but no Cybermen. No blood. No saws. No threat that was trying to take her life. The only sounds came from the TARDIS, which sounded worried, and from the calming whispers behind her.

She carefully removed her hands from her ears, half afraid as to what she might hear, her heart still pounding madly. One hand clenched into a fist while the other reached up to grip the suit lapel she now recognized as the Doctor's, swallowing hard.

"Doctor?" she asked uncertainly, her voice raw. His hands stopped moving briefly, before wrapping around her.

"Lyssa? Are you with me again?" He sounded incredibly worried, and that just made her feel worse. He didn't need to worry about her on top of everything else.

"I, I think so? What happened?" Her muscles were tight and sore, and she guessed that it was from being in the same position for so long.

"You had a panic attack. The woman grabbed you and pulled you away, and since it was so fresh in your memory, it made you think -"

"That I was back in the upgrading chamber," Lyssa finished weakly. "Yay. Is that going to happen every time someone touches me? Because that sucked."

The Doctor shook his head. "It shouldn't. But it's still fresh for you, and you were already in a state of emotional instability after saying goodbye, so I think it was a multitude of triggers all at once. It was just too much to handle while your brain's still trying to sort through everything that happened that day. You haven't really had any time aside from yesterday to sort through what happened."

"Excuse me." They both looked up to see the woman from earlier standing by the console, her voice much quieter than it had been, and her face worried. "But if your friend is all right, I'd really like to leave now. And... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." she trailed off.

The Doctor stood, lifting Lyssa easily with an unhappy look on his face. "Didn't mean to traumatize her two days after she was nearly killed, you mean?" he snapped. "If you'd waited just a minute instead of acting like that, maybe we could have figured out what was going on by now. Instead, we're right back where we started, except that Lyssa's had a setback in her recovery, both mental and physical."

He growled under his breath. "Humans! Always acting before you think, doing more damage than good. What's that? A breach between universes? I think I'll poke it with a stick and make it bigger. Surely nothing bad could ever come from that," he mocked sarcastically, anger plain to see on his face.

"Oi! You just kidnapped me in the middle of my wedding," Donna pointed out angrily. "What was I supposed to think? That you're ruddy Santa Claus?"

"For the last time, I didn't kidnap you!" the Doctor snapped, before setting Lyssa gently on the seat and focusing entirely on her, all signs of anger gone from his face. "Now, how are you feeling? And please, don't try and cover anything up," he implored her. "You're still weak after what happened, and your time and nutrient levels are still too low to be comfortable. I need to know if there's something else that I need to do."

She held his hand tightly, seeking strength from his grip as she stared at the grating on the floor. "I feel tired. My muscles are sore, and my stomach hurts. But I think that's because I clenched them for so long. And I feel..." She sighed. "I feel kind of stupid for letting it get to me like that. I've never had a panic attack before."

"Hey." The Doctor cupped her chin with his hand and lifted it so she would look him in the eye, his brown eyes encouraging. "It's not your fault that it happened. You didn't want it to happen, you didn't mean for it to happen. Too many sensations overwhelmed the processing centers of your brain, which was already trying to work through what happened earlier. You're not stupid, and you're not weak because it happened. Many brave people have suffered from them, and you've pulled me from many of my own. Don't blame yourself for something that's out of your control, all right?"

She sighed but nodded in agreement, looking back down at the floor. He may have been right, but she still felt bad for losing it like that. And she felt really tired again, which was _so_ nice to feel again so quickly after finally starting to feel more energized.

"Right. I hope you feel better, lady, but I need to get back to my wedding." The redhead had waited until she was sure Lyssa was feeling better before rushing to the doors, intending on escaping that way. The Doctor surged to his feet and ran after her, but it was too late.

"No, wait a minute. Wait a minute! Don't!" He reached the doors right as Donna threw open the doors, revealing a supernova outside, and all the bleakness of space beyond that. He stood beside her as her mouth fell open, while Lyssa watched from the seat. "You're in space. Outer space. This is my... space ship. It's called the TARDIS," he explained gently.

"How am I breathing?" the poor lady asked faintly.

"The TARDIS is protecting us."

She shook her head before turning to him. "And who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor. And you?"

"Donna."

He looked her up and down. "Human?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Yeah. Is that optional?"

He shrugged. "Well, it is for me."

She looked around the TARDIS, but didn't seem to have the energy to be any more surprised than she already had been. "You're an alien," she stated after a moment. When he nodded, she turned back towards Lyssa. "And you?"

"I'm Lyssa," Lyssa spoke up, hating how her voice came out so weak and unsteady. "And I'm human, I just travel with him, try and be a bit of damage control."

The Doctor snorted. "When you're not part of it. I know you've been to 10 Downing Street by this point. Damage control? You were on the alien spaceship that crashed into the Thames!"

"Not by choice," she pointed out, raising an eyebrow. She felt a little bit better at the return of their normal banter, and wondered if he had instigated it on purpose. The Doctor winked at her, but didn't otherwise respond.

After a moment, Donna shivered. "It's freezing in here." The Doctor seemed to be inspired by an idea suddenly, and slammed the doors shut before darting over to the console.

"But I don't understand it, and I understand everything! This... this can't happen! There is no way a human being can lock itself onto the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be..." He trailed off, frowning at something on the console before grabbing an opthalmoscope, something Lyssa vaguely recognized from her visits to both her normal doctor and her eye doctor back in her old world when she had to get her eyes examined. He held it up to Donna's eyes, all the while muttering to himself, while she just watched him silently in confusion.

"Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro-mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic..." He and Lyssa both winced as Donna seemed to come back to herself and slapped him with a fierceness that would make Jackie proud. "What was that for?" he demanded indignantly.

"Get me to the church!" she yelled, fed up.

The Doctor scowled at her and dropped the instruments, going back to the controls. "Right! Fine. I don't want you here anyways. Where is this wedding?"

"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System," she informed him snippily, stalking around the console before stopping when her eyes fell on Rose's purple blouse, which had dropped out of her laundry bag and been placed on the railing before they arrived at Torchwood and the events of Doomsday started.

She snatched it up, then turned to Lyssa. "Is this yours?" she demanded, waving it at Lyssa, who shrunk back, startled at the unexpected change in conversation, before shaking her head in denial and looking away, feeling the hurt start afresh at the memories that came with the sight of Rose's shirt.

Donna's face grew hard as she whipped around to face the Doctor. "I knew it. Acting all innocent." She strode over to him and waved it around in his face. "Lyssa winced when she saw this shirt, but it's not hers. How many other women are on board? How many other people have you abducted? I'm can't be the first, even if Lyssa travels with you willingly." The accusations didn't make sense, but overwhelmed by her current situation, Donna went with the first possible answer presented to her.

The Doctor looked up, at first confused about the nonsensical babble coming from the woman, but then he caught sight of Rose's shirt, and his face fell. "That's my friend's," he explained quietly. "Mine and Lyssa's."

"Where is she then?" Donna asked sarcastically. "Popped out for a space walk?"

"She's gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" Donna repeated relentlessly, either not seeing or not heeding the Doctor's wince. After a moment, he answered reluctantly, his eyes distant.

"We lost her."

"Well, you can hurry up and lose me," Donna snapped. She frowned, watching him, then suddenly seemed to realize the sensitivity of the topic. "How do you mean, 'lost'?" she said softly.

The Doctor looked up at her, his face hard, then advanced towards her. Donna backed up fearfully, but all he did was take the blouse back out of her hands, before turning back to the controls, tucking the blouse underneath the console.

"Right. Chiswick!" He flipped the lever, starting the rotor. Donna gasped as the TARDIS began to move about, a bit rougher than usual, and gripped onto the console for dear life. Lyssa held onto the seat, glad for the chance to rest her legs, and hoping she'd be feeling up to moving around. She remembered this episode, and was currently trying to see if there was anything she could change. Maybe save Donna's husband-to-be, and possibly the Racnoss? Or at least stop them before anyone else had to die...

The TARDIS landed with a groan, sounding unhappy. The Doctor followed Donna outside, while Lyssa rolled her eyes and got to her feet with a sigh, feeling weaker than she had all day.

"I said, 'Saint Mary's,'" Donna said snarkily, her voice echoing back into the TARDIS. "What sort of Martian are you? Where is this?"

"Something's wrong with her," the Doctor's voice retorted. "It's almost like she's... recalibrating!" He rushed back into the TARDIS suddenly, scanning the console. "She's digesting," he said in a tone of wonder, placing his hand on the rotor. "What have you eaten? What's wrong?" He frowned, then called to Donna, who was still outside the TARDIS "Donna? You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might've caused this? Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts?"

He frowned. "I can't let you go wandering off in case you're dangerous. I mean, have you... have you seen lights in the sky? Or... did you touch something? Something... something different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or... who're you getting married to?" Donna poked her head back in the TARDIS, the look of shock on her face making Lyssa giggle as she stumbled backwards, her hand over her mouth, while the Doctor continued, oblivious. "Are you sure he's human? He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?"

Donna shook her head, the strangeness of the last hour too much for her as she turned and ran out of the TARDIS. The Doctor muttered something under his breath before turning to follow her, telling Lyssa to stay there while he chased after her.

Lyssa frowned, but reluctantly stayed put. She honestly wasn't sure how she'd react around all the people that were sure to be milling around out there on Christmas Day, not to mention the fact that she didn't think she'd be able to run after them in her current state. And the Doctor was probably still stuck in his overprotective phase after she'd almost died the last time she left the TARDIS.

She couldn't find it in herself to get too annoyed, as she'd been an emotional wreck the last two days, and was probably in need of an overprotective friend who refused to leave her alone. If it continued on for several weeks, and she was better by then, then she'd probably say something. But for now, she actually felt better when she was around him, so she wouldn't complain.

She could still worry, though, and she felt some of her strength return in the form of nervous energy that she tried to work off by pacing around the console, one hand going up to squeeze her necklace every now and again. She jumped and let out a startled shriek when the Doctor came running back in, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Sorry! No time to explain. Donna's in trouble, robot Santas," he blurted out, flipping levers and spinning dials before pounding on the console with a hammer, trying to get the rotor started before fiddling with the monitor, tracing Donna's location on it. Lyssa stumbled and grabbed onto the console for balance as they took off, only to jerk away and fall to her knees when sparks erupted from the console.

The Doctor spared her a worried glance as she made her way back to her feet using the railing as he pounded the console with the hammer again. "Behave!" he scolded the TARDIS. "Lyssa, pull that lever when I tell you to," he ordered her, pointing out a small red lever on the console. "And then immediately spin that dial two full turns to the left."

She nodded, making her way shakily over to the console and placing her hand next to the aforementioned controls. The Doctor darted over to the doors and threw them open, revealing their current location hovering over a taxi speeding along a highway, with a robotic Santa in the front seat, and Donna trapped in the back, pounding on the window and calling for help.

"Open the door!" he yelled. He repeated it a moment later, then pulled out his sonic and flashed it at the window, allowing her to open it while Lyssa watched anxiously.

"Santa's a robot!" Donna shouted immediately, sounding almost hysterical.

"Donna, open the door!" the Doctor repeated urgently. "You've got to jump!"

"I'm not going to flipping jump!" Donna said shrilly. "I'm going to my wedding!"

The robot seemed to have been following the conversation, and sped up, leaving the TARDIS behind. The Doctor, holding onto the door frames for balance, called back to Lyssa, "Lyssa! spin the dial two clicks to the right! We've got to stay behind them!" Lyssa nodded, then spun the dial two clicks, wincing as a bump below them seemed to indicate them scraping the roof of someone's poor car. The Doctor stumbled, but regained his balance before sonicing the robot.

"You've got to jump!"

"I'm not jumping on a motorway!" Donna shouted stubbornly, looking aghast at the very idea.

"Whatever that thing is, it needs you. And whatever it needs you for, it's not good. Now, come on!" the Doctor yelled in annoyance.

"I'm in my wedding dress!" Donna yelled right back.

"Yes, and you look lovely. Now, come on!" the Doctor shouted in exasperation.

Breathing heavily, Donna opened the door and prepared to jump, only to draw back at the last minute, too frightened to do it. "I can't do it," she said tearfully.

"Trust me," the Doctor pleaded with her.

"Is that what you said to her? Your friend? The one you lost? Did she trust you?" Donna said, half accusing, half pleading.

"Yes, she did. And she's not dead, she is so alive. Now, jump!" the Doctor urged. Donna gathered herself, then jumped with a scream, landing in the Doctor's waiting arms and knocking him onto the floor. "Lyssa, what I told you earlier. Do it now!" the Doctor shouted, rolling Donna off of him, and springing back to his feet and shutting the door as Lyssa flipped the lever immediately, then spun the dial to the left twice.

She fell backwards with a shriek, throwing her arms up to protect her face as sparks erupted once more from the console, and a small fire erupted from the other side of the console, smoke billowing out and filling the room. She rolled over onto her knees, coughing as the Doctor struggled to get the TARDIS under control before finally landing them with a jolt.

"Everyone out!" the Doctor shouted, heaving Lyssa to her feet and helping her out, pushing open the doors, followed by Donna, who was waving her hands in front of her face.

Once he was certain she was safely outside, the Doctor hurried back inside, trying to deal with the havoc. Lyssa sucked in a greedy breath of the fresh air, only to start coughing again when it triggered her sensitive lungs, still trying to get rid of all the smoke she'd inadvertently breathed in.

When she'd regained control of her breathing again, tears running down her face as she swiped at them, the Doctor had just shut the TARDIS doors after calling for the extractor fans to turn on. Waving a hand in front of his own face, he rejoined Lyssa, helping her sit down, evidently on the roof of a high rise building. He frowned at the sight of her red eyes before sighing and pulling out his sonic screwdriver, waving it over her.

"Just couldn't stay out of trouble for one day, could you?" he muttered, looking worried at the results. "All this stress and aggravation has been setting you back. Hang on... I think I have another one of those pills in here," he muttered, rummaging around in his pocket before pulling out a small pill bottle that held the little capsules she'd been taking. "It's a bit earlier than I'd like, but I think you're going to be needing the extra doses if you want to stay healthy. Sorry I don't have any water, though."

She shook her head. "S'all right. I've taken them dry before, I just don't like to." She took the offered pill, then downed it, grimacing at the feel of it before sticking out her tongue. "Ugh. Hope I have water next time. It tastes worse without it."

The Doctor scanned her one more time, still not looking overly pleased with the results, but helped her stand back up once it seemed she was all right, slinging an arm over her shoulder before changing the subject. "The funny thing is, for a spaceship, she doesn't really do that much flying. We'd better give her a couple of hours. You all right?" he asked Donna.

She shrugged apathetically. "Doesn't matter."

"Did we miss it?"

"Yeah..." she sighed, Lyssa looking at her sympathetically.

"Well, you can book another date," the Doctor tried.

"Course we can," Donna agreed, sounding falsely cheerful.

"Still got the honeymoon," the Doctor tried again.

Donna frowned. "It's just a holiday, now." She shook her head when the Doctor tried to apologize. "It's not your fault."

"Oh. Well, that's a change," the Doctor muttered sarcastically, pretending not to feel Lyssa's elbow.

"Wish we had a time machine. Then we could go back and get it right," Donna sighed.

The Doctor opened his mouth and closed it again, before saying innocently, "Yeah... yeah. But, even if it did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently"

"Eh, just let me know if you need one," Lyssa offered nonchalantly. "I know a guy."

* * *

 **A/N: Donna's here! She was always one of my favorite companions, possibly because of a) her snark - which I have in abundance, and b) her awesome friendship with the Doctor (friendship goals, right there).**

 **And things will probably be going downhill for a while before they go uphill again. Doomsday is still far too fresh for Lyssa to not have to deal with some repercussions from it emotionally, and she's not the only one... But things do get better, too... (except for the ending to this story... Everyone's going to hate it, lol, I already have it all planned out...)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Fakira, E-man-dy-S, Ruby Slippers, Guest, and V for reviewing!**

 ** _Fakira: Lol, same. For some reason, I keep getting an American Southern and a British accent mixed up, and I'll switch mid-sentence. :/ Guess I'll have to stick to my regular American one. And hahaha, yep. We'll be seeing more of the Gallifrey room. (And Lyssa/Doctor, of course). I've always hated Doomsday. :P I cried at the end of it . And I made my hint this chapter a bit more clear, should narrow down some of the possiblities quite a bit. Thanks for your awesome review, and I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! :D_**

 ** _E-man-dy-S: Thanks! I was trying to keep it from being too much, but at the same time, not dismissing it too soon. And the Doctor can be very sweet where Lyssa is concerned... *shifty eyes* Hopefully the new hint helps clear things up a bit. If no one can figure it out soon, I'll probably point it out. Thanks for reviewing , and I hope you liked it!_**

 ** _Ruby Slippers: Thanks! Hope you like this one as well. :D_**

 ** _Guest: Here's some Donna! The Doctor isn't too thrilled about her at first, especially seeing as how she sent Lyssa into a panic attack, but he's slowly warming up to her. Lyssa, well... she likes Donna. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :D_**

 ** _V: Thanks! Hahaha, I love hearing from you! And that goal just makes me happy, lol. You always leave such hilarious reviews, and make me want to keep writing more! (I love getting a notification that I've got a new review on one of my stories, and they're always highly motivating). Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, there would have been no Doomsday. :/**


	27. Chapter 27 - The Runaway Bride, Part 2

Donna glanced at the two of them with a frown before going to sit on the edge of the roof, her feet dangling over the edge. The Doctor tugged Lyssa along, making sure she was seated safely before sitting in between them, taking off his coat and draping it over Donna's shoulders in an attempt to keep her warm, leaving him in just a white long-sleeve shirt and his tie. She wrinkled her nose.

"You're too skinny, spaceman. This wouldn't fit a rat."

"Oh! And you'd better put this on," the Doctor muttered, ignoring her previous comment and pulling out a small gold-colored ring from his pocket.

"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" she complained. "And I would've thought you'd do your friend, first."

"Those creatures can trace you. It's a bio-damper, should keep you hidden," he explained. She huffed, but held up her hand so he could slip it on her finger. "And not all cultures use rings," he pointed out with a smile, before changing the subject. "With this ring, I thee bio-damp," he teased.

"For better or for worse," she finished, rolling her eyes with a smile. Lyssa felt a small smile come to her face, but it soon fell as a thought struck her.

"Doctor," she said softly, tugging on his arm to grab his attention, peering up at him nervously. "Would those creatures be able to trace Donna through me? Since, you know..." She grimaced. "The... energy... inside me?"

He frowned thoughtfully before shaking his head. "I think you're safe for now. They didn't get the chance to see you before. And you should still read as human, and I've got a few other means of protection in place as well."

"So many?" she murmured, dropping her head on his arm tiredly. "Dare I ask what they are? And why you'd bother going to all that trouble?"

"It wasn't any trouble at all," he said firmly, lifting his arm and wrapping it around her shoulder, tugging her closer so that she was leaning against his chest instead. "You're my best friend, with an alarming propensity for getting yourself into trouble. Of course I'm going to make sure that you're safe. And as for what they are, weeeellll," he drew out the word.

"You'll find that out later. But I promise that I haven't put a tracker on you so that I can see where you are when you inevitably wander off into trouble. It's still on the table, though," he added teasingly, raising his hands in surrender when she turned her head to glare sleepily at him. "Kidding. I promise, I'll let you know if I ever seriously consider it," he told her, lips twitching upwards into a smile.

"So, now that we've established you're an overprotective sap," Donna interjected, the smile in her voice belying her impatient words, "Can we try and figure out what on earth's going on? I mean, Robot Santas, what are they for?"

The Doctor merely smirked at her accusation and sat up a bit straighter as he thought. "Ah, your basic robo-scavenger. The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise, I met them last Christmas." He nudged Lyssa's shoulder. "You will too, eventually."

"Why, what happened then?" Donna asked cluelessly, not hearing his last comment.

The Doctor tilted his head and stared at her skeptically before answering. "Great big spaceship? Hovering over London? You didn't notice?"

"Had a bit of a hangover," Donna said dismissively.

The Doctor shook his head in disbelief before deciding not to continue down that path, scanning the landscape. He stopped when he saw the Powell Estates, where Rose used to live, and nodded his head in that direction. "We spent Christmas Day just over there, the Powell Estate. With this... family. Our friend, she had this family. Well, they were..." He trailed off, his eyes distant and sad. "Still... gone now."

Donna looked up at him, curiosity warring with the instinct not to prod at a visibly sensitive subject. In the end, curiosity won out, though the question was asked with a gentleness Donna hadn't displayed much of before. "Your friend, who was she?"

The Doctor didn't answer, his jaw clenching tight for a moment before he deliberately changed the subject. "Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the TARDIS? I don't know..." He tilted his head to the side and contemplated her, making Donna roll her eyes and Lyssa smile, though she was feeling more and more sleepy. "What's your job?" he asked, pulling out his sonic.

"I'm a secretary."

The Doctor frowned, continuing to scan her. "It's weird, I mean, you're not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important..."

"This friend of yours, just before she left, did she punch you in the face?" Donna asked in annoyance, whacking the hand holding the sonic to the side. "Stop bleeping me!"

"She didn't, but I might whack him," Lyssa interjected, trying to muster up the energy to scowl at the Doctor. "That was rude, even though I know you didn't mean it the way it came out." She turned back to Donna and rolled her eyes. "Sorry about him.

"What he meant to say, was that you're a normal human, without superhero capabilities or something like that, you don't have a genius-level IQ with zero people skills like _some people_ I could mention, you don't have connections to people in power that could be exploited, and that while you don't have a position of power or something like that, you're still an amazing human being. You are incredibly unique, and I hope that someday, you'll realize that you're one of the most important people in the universe. Is that any better than what he said?" She realized that both the Doctor and Donna were staring at her, and frowned. "What?"

"You've never even met me before today," Donna said, still gaping at her. "And I accidentally - well, scared you really bad," she explained awkwardly. "Why do you have such a high opinion of me?"

Lyssa huffed a laugh, then drew her hand up to her mouth to cover a yawn. "You scared me while you were trying to save me from a supposed kidnapper. You didn't know any better, you were scared and confused, and yet you still tried to help someone you'd never even met before. That makes you a pretty awesome person already. And let's just say that I'm pretty good at telling good people apart from bad people. Well, sometimes I am."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed, obviously starting to connect the dots that Lyssa knew who Donna was in the future. Donna, meanwhile, only smiled and shook her head gratefully.

"Well, you were right about one thing. That was definitely a heck of a lot better than what he said," she agreed, jerking a thumb at the Doctor.

"No, Lyssa was right," the Doctor pointed out. "I didn't mean that the way it came out. That was rude, even for me. Sorry about that, by the way. But we should probably stay focused. What kind of secretary are you?"

"I'm at H C Clements," Donna explained. "It's where I met Lance. I was temping." Her eyes glazed, lost in memories. "I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought, I'm never gonna fit in here. And then, he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee. And Lance, he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me! But he was nice, he was funny. And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him, one cup of coffee. That was it."

"When was this?" the Doctor asked.

"Six months ago."

"Bit quick to get married," the Doctor pointed out.

Donna shrugged. "Well, he insisted. He nagged, and he nagged... He just wore me down, and then finally, I gave in." Lyssa tried to cover up her laughter with a cough, but only ended up triggering a coughing fit that left her heaving for air against the Doctor's chest while he tried to support her. "Are you all right? That's a pretty bad cough you got there," Donna asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Lyssa rasped, waving her off and trying to subtly wipe the tears out of her eyes, just knowing that the Doctor was even more worried now. "I've just got a weakened immune system right now, so the smoke in the TARDIS earlier wasn't very good for my lungs."

"I'd put you in the TARDIS and make you stay there if it weren't for the fact that she's still trying to clear out the smoke," the Doctor warned. "I swear, I've never met a more accident-prone person in my life."

"Except you," Lyssa grumbled. "You're the one who always lands us in danger, and you did when I wasn't around, too. So you can't blame me for that." She yawned again. "Why am I so tired now?" she whined. "Is this because of earlier?"

"I told you you were still weak, and that you had a setback," the Doctor reminded her. "The smoke just made it worse. The pill should help you feel better, but your body's still trying to recover, which means sleepy Lyssa. Just try not to exert yourself too much, and get as much rest as possible. That includes sleeping," he added meaningfully. "If you feel tired, just let me know, and I'll try and find a place where you can sleep, or rest without any trouble. You need your rest."

"Yeah, cause that'll happen," she muttered, snuggling up against him and closing her eyes, another yawn escaping her mouth. "We'll probably be running for our lives in like half an hour. Wake me up when we get there."

"Get where?"

She wasn't sure if it was the Doctor or Donna who'd said it, but she was too sleepy to answer them, already half asleep. There was some more muted talking, but it wasn't very interesting, so she quickly fell asleep, already worn out after the stresses of the day. She stirred briefly when there was a burst of loud music, but she was warm, and comfortable, so she tried her best to ignore it when someone suddenly burst into tears, and managed to fall back into a light doze, vaguely aware of being laid down on a soft surface, then a comforting hand gently stroking her hair when she mumbled restlessly.

When she finally awoke for good, it was because another loud burst of music jolted her awake, adrenaline flooding her veins as she tensed in anticipation of some oncoming threat. Her eyes scanned the room, only slowly coming to realize that there was no threat, at least for the moment. It was a large, well-decorated room, filled with Christmas trees, tables, and snacks; and there were dozens of people, most of them dancing over along one side of the room.

A wedding reception, she realized belatedly as she relaxed, seeing Donna dancing with a dark-skinned man she could only presume was the aforementioned Lance, her groom-to-be. She frowned at the sight of him, resolving to try and get him to change his mind, if possible; or at least keep him alive so she could drop-kick him into prison for hurting Donna the way he had - or would. Maybe if she got the chance to speak to him privately. At any rate, she needed to see the Doctor. She really hoped he wouldn't leave her alone considering her state, and she didn't think he would, but she couldn't see him.

She spotted him talking to a man holding a flip cell phone, before borrowing it from him and doing some kind of search on it, unobtrusively using his sonic on the phone while slipping his glasses on. She frowned, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them before standing up and slowly making her way over to him, still feeling tired after her nap, though she was more awake now that the pill had had time to work. She made her way over to him, peering over his shoulder in time to see the search results pop up on the screen, making both of them tense: H C Clements: Sole Prop. Torchwood.

His head dropped low, his shoulders sagging as he handed it back to the man. "I suppose it was too much to ask that we never hear from them again," he commented bitterly, angling his head slightly so he could see her. She hummed in agreement, not questioning how he knew she was there.

"They had their fingers in a lot of pies," she pointed out, walking around to stand beside him. "They aren't behind this, not anymore. At least, not what happened to Donna."

"I suppose I should ask. Do you know what's going to happen now? Is this one of those times, or is this a complete blank to you?" he asked. "Or do you just know about the Torchwood bit," he grimaced as he said the name, "In reference to what just happened? For us, at least," he added. "It's been several months for Earth."

She shook her head. "I know what's supposed to happen. Well, I remember the main bits. Um... Don't lose your temper?" She scrunched up her nose. "That's a pretty lame hint, but kind of necessary."

A new song came on over the system, and he held out a hand to her, inviting her onto the dance floor. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think I can do anything too fast or fancy right now, and I was never that good at it in the first place, so... sorry if you were looking forward to a good dance. The most I can probably do is a waddle."

"Well then, Miss Devons, would you do me the honor of waddling with me?" he teased. "I can take it easy on you. A slow dance won't be too out of place with this music. I was there when it was written, and let me tell you, there was all different kinds of dancing you can do to this." He pulled her into the closed dance position once they were on the floor, swaying gently to the music as he led her in an easy box waltz. "Although, I have to admit, the couple doing the Cotton Eye Joe weren't exactly matching the tune."

She shook with laughter, grateful that it didn't trigger any coughing fit this time. "The Cotton Eye Joe?" she repeated incredulously. "But... how? That literally only goes with its song!"

He shrugged, lifting his arm for a slow spin before pulling her back into his arms. "I'm not sure, honestly. I'm fairly certain that copious amounts of sugar were involved, as well as an extreme lack of sleep and a bet that may or may not have involved bananas." He saw her suspicious glance and chuckled. "Believe it or not, it had nothing to do with me. Now, about your hint..." He gazed over her head at the crowd of people, all laughing and dancing eagerly. "Don't lose my temper?"

She nodded. "Let's just say that I've seen what happens if you don't get it under control, and..." she shuddered, remembering the events of Turn Left. "It's not pretty. Not directly related to you, you didn't cause what happens after that, but it is a consequence."

Well, now she'd piqued his curiosity. And she really hoped that she didn't make him think that he'd caused all these problems by not controlling his temper. Then again... as a Time Lord, when he lost his temper, it usually had very bad results, especially as he usually only lost it after something incredibly bad happened. Which he most likely knew. Great. Annnd now all this thinking was giving her a headache. Which the Doctor immediately noticed.

Leading her off the dance floor and over to a chair, he hovered uncertainly. "Are you all right? Are you feeling weaker again?"

She huffed, crossing her arms as she sat down. "I'm fine, just trying to sort some stuff out in my head. It's all jumbled up and annoying. But..." She peeked up at him. "The dance was nice, so thanks for asking, even though I could barely stumble my way through one of the easiest dances."

He chuckled. "You did fine. And I'll..." he trailed off, his attention caught by a cameraman who was in the corner, recording the proceedings. "Hold that thought. You'll stay here?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be here. You go find out what he recorded. I'm feeling much better after my nap. How long did I sleep, anyways?"

"Oh, about half an hour."

Lyssa sucked in a breath, recalling her words on the roof. She wasn't actually psychic, or anything like that, but if she recalled correctly, the Robot Santas would be coming shortly after the Doctor watched the video. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to force down her rising panic and stay focused. They wouldn't be able to escape early anyways. Once she was calm enough that her hands stopped shaking, she pushed her chair back and got to her feet, right as the Doctor rushed up to Donna.

He turned to her, but she shook her head and gestured to the door. He ran over and checked it, then turned back, his expression grim, Donna trying to keep from panicking as they pushed into the crowd.

"Get away from the trees!" he shouted.

"Don't touch the trees!" Donna urged, looking around wildly.

"Get away from the Christmas trees, everyone get away from them!" the Doctor yelled, trying to move people away from the Christmas trees in the room.

"Out! Lance, tell them!" Donna called to her fiancé, ushering a group of little girls away from the Christmas tree. People were backing up slightly, but sending the duo weird looks.

"Stay away from the trees!"

"Oh, for crying out loud, the man's an idiot!" A middle-aged blond woman exclaimed angrily. "What's a Christmas tree gonna... oh."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared as the Christmas baubles hanging on the trees began to float away, hovering above people's heads. Not realizing the danger, everyone began chattering excitedly, only to start screaming when they began dive-bombing the room, creating small explosions.

Lyssa noticed a little boy staring awestruck at a small bauble that was hovering a short distance away, then headed towards him at a steep dive. She reacted before she could even think about it, diving towards him, wrapping herself around him and rolling away from the miniature bomb, shielding him from the explosion.

She winced as she felt debris from the explosion hit her back, but kept her body folded over the boy. She looked up as she heard the Doctor shout a challenge to the Santas over the sound system, but then folded herself back over the boy when a horribly high-pitched shrill sound filled the room, making everybody wince and cover their ears.

When the sound stopped, she slowly uncurled herself, making sure the little boy was all right before releasing him to run over to his mother, who was nearly in tears when she saw that he was safe. She ran a hand over her back as best she could, trying to make sure there were no rips in the purple dress she was still wearing from the day before or major wounds. It seemed fine, if somewhat bruised, so she made her way outside to Donna and the Doctor, who ran his eyes over her and made sure she was all right before continuing with what he had previously been doing.

He held the head of a Robot Santa in his hands, and was scanning it with his screwdriver. "There's someone behind this, directing the robo-force," he explained.

"But why is it me? What have I done?" Donna asked plaintively, all of them looking up as Lance joined them, standing by Donna. Lyssa bit her lip as she contemplated the man, who didn't seem to notice her scrutiny yet.

"If we find the controller, we find that out," the Doctor explained. "Oh!" He exclaimed, holding his sonic up in the air. "It's up there. Something in the sky. I've lost the signal. Donna, we've got to get to your office, H C Clements. I think that's where it all started. Lance, is it Lance? Can you give me a lift?" He darted off without waiting for an answer. Donna and Lance glanced at each other, startled.

"Yeah, he's always like this," Lyssa shrugged. "Come on." She took off after him, but soon had to slow slightly as her breathing became heavy and her legs tired, the other two quickly catching up with her as they followed the Doctor to H C Clements, then inside to Donna's office. The Doctor headed straight to a computer, bending over it and quickly inputting information.

"This might just be a locksmiths, but H C Clements was bought twenty-three years ago by the Torchwood Institute," he explained.

"Who are they?" Donna frowned, Lance copying her, although Lyssa noticed that his expression seemed a bit forced.

"They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf." There was no response from Donna, so the Doctor continued, looking at her with an intrigued frown. "Cybermen invasion." She just looked at him inquiringly. "Skies over London filled with Daleks?" he tried.

Her face cleared. "Oh, I was in Spain."

The Doctor stared at her in disbelief. "They had Cybermen in Spain."

"I was scuba-diving," she retorted, as if that explained everything.

"Yeah, but then how'd you miss hearing about it after? Surely it was all over the news?" Lyssa pointed out, turning to the Doctor in question. He just shrugged.

"Must have been. That big picture, Donna, you keep on missing it." He darted over to another computer. "Torchwood was destroyed, but H C Clements stayed in business. I think... someone else came in and took over," he whacked the monitor, "the operation. You were right, Lyssa. Torchwood isn't behind this."

"But what do they want with me?" Donna asked again. "What've I done?"

The Doctor turned to face her, his face filling with sympathy. "Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS. See? That's what happened. Say... that's the TARDIS," he started, picking up a mug and showing it to Donna. "And that's you." He picked up a pencil. "The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetized and whap!" He threw the pencil into the mug. "You were pulled inside the TARDIS."

"I'm a pencil in a mug?" Donna asked weakly.

Lyssa slapped a hand over the Doctor's mouth before he could answer. "Just for the purposes of his illustration. You're nothing like a pencil, and the TARDIS is nothing like a mug. More like an amazing woman who will save the world, on multiple occasions, and who was forced through a cruel and heinous scheme by wicked creatures for their own greedy purposes that will never come to fruition." She eyed Lance out of the corner of her eye, seeing him tense at her implication.

"What are you talking about?" Donna asked, staring at her, open-mouthed. "Save the world? What?"

Lyssa shrugged. "Let's just say that as a result of certain actions, I know certain events, and what may happen as a result of them. And before you ask, no, I'm not psychic. I just know things. Including how awesome you are." She turned to Lance. "Did anyone tell you that your fiancée went out of her way to help a traumatized woman when she didn't have to, and had more than enough reason to ignore said woman?"

"Uh, no?" Lance stammered, eyes shifting to the others curiously, who were watching the scene with interest and no small amount of confusion.

Lyssa's lips curled up into a smile. "Because that's just the kind of kind-hearted woman she is. And since I didn't have the chance to say it before, I'm just going to give you the shovel talk now." She turned to Donna, who had been watching in bemusement. "Please don't take this the wrong way. I would have done it before, but, you know, I didn't have the chance to." She switched back to Lance.

"So, you know how it goes. You hurt Donna in any way, I will make you regret it. I suppose now would be a good time to mention that I have connections that make it possible for me to shove you out an airlock if you do. Capiche?" He nodded dumbly, though his eyes were clearly calculating, and she instantly dropped the threatening manner she had adopted, smiling brightly at him. "Great! I'm sure you care about Donna just as much as I do, if not more so, I just wanted to get that out of the way so we could continue on our way. The floor is yours, Doctor," she gestured with a bow.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You must be special, if Lyssa likes you this much on your first meeting," he commented to Donna. "Anyways. Lance?" He seemed to have a bit of wariness now when he viewed the man, clearly believing Lyssa to have been hinting at something with her continual reiteration of them caring about Donna. "What was H C Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Do not enter?"

"I don't know!" Lance claimed defensively. "I'm in charge of personnel, I wasn't project manager. Why am I even explaining myself? What on earth are we talking about?"

"They make keys, that's the point," the Doctor exclaimed, pointing his sonic at the screen and bringing a 3-D image of the building to the front. "And look at this. We're on the third floor." He led them over to an elevator, pressing the down button and waiting for the elevator to come to their floor. "Underneath reception there's a basement, yeah?"

The doors pinged open and the Doctor stepped inside, immediately going over to the controls. Lyssa was right behind him, and he took her hand in his, running his thumb over the back of her hand as he focused on the buttons. "Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked 'lower basement?' There's a whole floor which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?"

"Are you telling me there's a secret floor?" Lance scoffed.

The Doctor smirked. "No, I'm showing you there's a secret floor."

"It needs a key," Donna pointed out.

"I don't," the Doctor rebutted, sonicing the lock. "Right then, thanks you two. Lyssa and I can handle this, see you later."

"I don't think so, Martian!" Donna said immediately. "You're the man who keeps saving my life. I ain't letting you out of my sight," she informed him rebelliously, joining them on the lift.

The Doctor shrugged. "Going down."

Lance reluctantly joined them after being cajoled by Donna, although he was clearly not eager to join them. Lyssa watched him carefully, noticing the complete differences in the way he and the Doctor acted around her and Donna. While her and the Doctor weren't together in a romantic way - an idea that made her blush just thinking about it - he was her best friend, and constantly concerned with her well-being, always looking out for her and showing his affection for her in one way or another.

Lance on the other hand, hadn't been overly concerned about Donna's disappearance, and hadn't checked on her after the bombs either - something the Doctor had done as soon as he'd seen her, and overall hadn't shown much concern for her at all. And granted, she hadn't been awake all that long, but she hadn't seen him show much in the way of affection - of any sort, friendship or otherwise - aside from anything that'd been instigated by Donna.

Her grip tightened on the Doctor's as she thought about the way that the ginger was about to be hurt. He glanced at her, looking her over for anything that might have hurt or upset her, but she shook her head, striking up another notch on the already full list of grievances against Lance. She was fully aware that she was heavily biased, but Lance was willing to commit murder indirectly, if she recalled correctly, and so she wasn't exactly inclined to be favorable towards him in the first place.

They reached the lower basement, and stepped out into a long, dark corridor dimly lit with an eerie green light, making Lyssa shudder slightly, not overly fond of the sight. The sheer metal, combined with the unearthly glow, did nothing for her nerves, all looking entirely much too similar to the upgrading chambers to be comfortable.

"You all right?" the Doctor murmured, squeezing her hand tighter and standing in front of her, looking down at her in concern. "You've been a bit tense since you woke up in the reception hall, and I know this place can't be the easiest place to deal with."

She swallowed hard and shrugged at him, trying to muster a faint smile. "It's certainly not pleasant," she admitted. "But I think I can deal with it. Maybe." She bit her lip, trying to focus on him, and not the cold metal of the walls around her. "I can't exactly go through life being afraid of metal walls, now, can I? Might make things rather tricky."

"Yeah, but not two days after what happened. Give yourself a bit of time to heal, first. If you keep being exposed without any time to heal, it'll be like opening a scar. Never fully heals, just keeps hurting," he said, eyes filled with sympathy. "If you want to wait by the lift, or go back to the TARDIS, you can. It should be by the reception hall. She'll let you in."

She flinched, eyes closing and her hand squeezing the Doctor's tightly as the smell of blood began to reach her nose. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life like this," she complained pitifully, opening her eyes and drawing in a shuddering breath. "Maybe I'll go wait upstairs for now. Once you have the TARDIS, come get me. I should be fine after that, it'll make sense once you're in the TARDIS. All right?"

He nodded. "You sure you can reach the top without incident?" he teased. "It'd be just your luck if the elevator got stuck."

"I'll go with her," Lance interposed. They all glanced at him, Lyssa with no small amount of suspicion. "I'll use the chance to alert the police, then come back down here. That way, you're not alone, and Donna can stay with the Doctor. After all," he added, with a self-depreciating smile. "I'm clearly not any good at protecting her, if this morning was any indication. Maybe this way, we can protect both of them?"

The Doctor eyed him carefully, before turning to Lyssa. "Fairy-girl? What do you think?" And the unasked question, _'Do you trust him?'_

She thought about it for a minute before answering. Lance seemed to be a non-violent person, if unethical; and if he was promised adequate consequences if harm came to her, he would doubtless refrain from doing anything, as he seemed to shy away from anything along that line. He didn't seem the type to cause harm himself, and probably just wanted to get her away from the Doctor, if he suspected something, just so she couldn't speak up against him. And really, she did need to leave. These tunnels were doing nothing good for her already fragile mental state.

"I guess," she said. "I know you'll be able to get to me fairly quickly, considering how overprotective you are," she added with a fond roll of her eyes. "But Lance'll take care of me, I'm sure he doesn't want to find himself dropped out an airlock."

The Doctor snorted. "I'd do worse than that if anything happened to you. And I'd come with you myself, if I didn't think you'd be safe, and if I didn't need to stay here. Something tells me we need to act, and soon. Although, just to make sure I can find you, and to help if you need it," he paused, digging through his pocket until he found what he was looking for, pulling out a small clip with a button on one end.

"This will allow the TARDIS to home in on you, and the button on the end is an emergency teleport. Should get you inside, if you feel the need arise." She took the button gratefully, suddenly feeling much better about the situation. He turned to Lance. "You'll watch over her?"

The other man nodded. "As if she were Donna," he pledged.

And suddenly that safe feeling was gone again.

The Doctor's face remained dead serious, his aura dangerous. "She's the most important person in the universe to me, and I'm entrusting you to make sure she reaches the top safely." Any threat remained unspoken but completely clear. The Doctor was testing him and his intentions. And by giving Lyssa the emergency teleport, he'd ensured she'd be safe at the same time, by sending her back to the TARDIS - something he'd probably been wanting to do for some time.

Lance was silent as they waited for the elevator to approach, his expression calm and thoughtful. Lyssa kept the teleport button curled up loosely in her palm, ready to press at a moment's notice, although she could feel herself relax instinctively at the sight of the well-lit elevator, ready to take her away from the memories that still surged at the back of her mind.

The Doctor gave her other hand one last squeeze before releasing it as the elevator arrived, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "I swear, if something goes wrong on this trip, I'm locking you up in the TARDIS until you're old and gray."

She snorted, looking back at him with a grin as she stepped in the elevator, followed by Lance. "I feel more worried about you, mister. Remember what I said about keeping your temper under control," she admonished, waving goodbye as the doors closed. She heaved a sigh of relief as they began moving upwards, then turned to Lance. "Thanks for being willing to go up with me. As I'm sure you could tell, I get kind of anxious underground." Well, not underground, but if he was going to stay alive, like she hoped, she didn't want to give away her weaknesses.

He nodded, a smile forming on his face. "Of course. I know what it's like to get anxious. I'm personally afraid of heights, so of course, Donna's completely fine with them."

She chuckled. "Opposites attract, huh?"

He shook his head. "You have no idea."

She kept her back to the wall as they moved upwards, keeping a close eye on Lance while trying to keep the conversation genial. She wanted to wait to warn him until she had a place to run, just in case he did try something, even if she did have the emergency teleport. She felt her heartbeat increase as they reached the top, and the doors opened, both of them stepping out into the sunlight-filled room.

"Hey, Lance," she added, stepping out, the older man turning to look at her. "You don't have to do this, you know," she said quietly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, wrinkling his brow in confusion.

"Whatever deal you made with the Racnoss," she said softly, stepping backwards subtly and trying to ignore the way the man tensed up, fingering the button in her hands. "She'll turn on you and kill you. You need to get out of there before she has the chance. Whatever she's offered you isn't worth your life."

He paused, opened his mouth to speak, then his shoulders sagged. "There's no point in hiding it now. I'm guessing you know this the same way you knew what I was doing?"

She nodded. "The Doctor will help you escape, if you ask, you know. He can hide you from the Racnoss, if you just come clean."

He seemed to war with himself, then came to a decision, stepping towards her slightly, his head bowed with guilt. "I - do you really think so? Will he be able to save me from her? I never wanted it to go this far, but she told me that if I didn't give in..." he trailed off, the implied threat obvious.

Lyssa felt her face fill with sympathy as she stepped towards him, reaching a hand out in an attempt to give him comfort, both glad and surprised that he was willing to change sides. It seemed the Doctor was right when he'd told her that things weren't all the same. Apparently, this included the fact that Lance had been forced to work for the Racnoss Queen.

"I know he will," she promised, turning to glance towards the door, then back at him. "I'll just -"

She saw it coming, but didn't have time to react. The instant she'd turned back towards him, Lance had stepped towards her, all signs of guilt gone as he twisted his waist and raised his arm towards her, his fist hitting the side of the jaw, and snapping her head to the side with an audible crack as she slumped to the floor, her vision going black.

* * *

 **A/N: In which Lyssa's afraid of the walls, Lance fails a test (And now has a very painful demise waiting for him should he survive the Racnoss), the Doctor is insulting without trying to be for once, and Donna does not have a very good support group.**

 **So... Lance is apparently still evil. Whether or not he dies (and who kills him) remains to be seen. But, this chapter was over 6,000 words, so I decided to end it there. *shrugs***

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to E-man-dy-S, frosty600, Fakira, V, and brmngirl for reviewing! (And, we are now officially over 100 reviews! Huge thank you to everyone who's helped me reach this point, I love each and everyone of you! :D**

 ** _E-man-dy-S: Yeah, I will be revealing a very big hint to the ending in a few chapters, and I'm already planning it out... And don't worry about not figuring it out - my brain works in really weird ways, so things I think are obvious are really as clear as mud to everyone else - including my family, who's grown up with me. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 ** _frosty600: Well, I hope you like my take! It doesn't focus a whole lot on the episode right now, but the ending should finish things up next chapter. Thanks for reviewing. I hope you like it!_**

 ** _Fakira: Lol, that's fine. You can still pick out a sneak peek if you want. And Donna is amazing. I love the sassy banter she and the Doctor share. And uh... about the ending... and you being emotional... um... *coughs awkwardly* Well, I'm glad you like Lyssa enough not to want her to be sad. It's always nice to know that you can draw readers into the story enough that they feel emotions in some way about your characters. :D I make no promises about the ending, though... you'll have to wait and see... Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter! :D_**

 ** _V: Over 100 reviews, and you've definitely helped! (And I've loved every single one of them.) Your reviews just brighten my day, tbh. Thank you so much for all the kind (and hilarious) words you've said, I hope I keep writing chapters that you like! And yep. Lyssa's afraid of walls now. :/I felt there was no way she wouldn't end up at least somewhat traumatized after what happened at Canary Wharf. It won't last forever, but she hasn't really had the chance to start the healing process yet. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :D_**

 ** _brmngirl: Thanks! I'm always excited to hear that people are enjoying my stories! And new chapter is up. I update every Saturday, usually late in the day because I'm an awful procrastinator. :/ Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	28. Chapter 28 - The Runaway Bride, Part 3

Lyssa groaned as her eyes fluttered open, feeling pain in her jaw. She was lying on the floor, and someone was standing over her, their feet by her head.

"No, don't worry about her. I just wanted to keep her from following me. I'll go lock her up in a cleaning closet or something, I know there's one around here somewhere. Just go back to the empress, I'll deal with this."

She knew that voice. Lance. AKA, Donna's traitorous groom, and the one who'd knocked her out. She'd offered him a chance to escape, and he'd knocked her out! She tensed, ready to jump to her feet and give him what for - and possibly something painful in return before she fled - but then recalled that he had been speaking to someone. She lowered her eyelids and shifted her gaze towards her feet, just able to make out two of the Santa robots disappearing in the direction of the lift.

She felt two hands be placed under her arms and flip her over, lifting her chest off the ground as Lance began to drag her, and resisted the urge to - violently - let him know she was awake; not wanting to attract the attention of the Santa robots. Instead, she kept her eyes closed and let her head fall backwards as she was pulled across the floor, trying to focus on the fact that it was completely human arms holding her, and not metal ones. She was pulled around a corner before being lowered to the floor again, where Lance began to - shake her shoulders?

"Lyssa? Are you all right? I tried not to hit you that hard, but they were right there, and if I didn't make it look like I stopped you, they would have taken you, and you would have died. Can you hear me?"

Abandoning all pretense, she opened her eyes and pushed him away with her hands as hard as she could, scrambling to her feet and placing the wall at her back as he held up his hands in surrender.

"You expect me to believe that?" she spat. "I offered you a chance to escape, and you punched me!" She rubbed her jaw, wincing at the spot that would most likely bruise. "You'll regret that later," she warned him. "And not because of me, though I'd like to get some payback. The Doctor is protective of me normally, and he's become rather overprotective over the last few days. Tell me, what do you think are your chances of surviving being shoved out an airlock?"

"There were two robots right behind you," Lance insisted. "They saw you talking to me, and would have either killed you right away or taken you to the empress' lair, where you would have been killed anyways. I'm sorry I had to hurt you to do it, but me knocking you out proved my continued loyalty, and saved your life! Now you have the chance to get away, or maybe to your TARDIS, or whatever the Doctor called it."

Lyssa narrowed her eyes at the man, trying to tell whether or not he was being sincere, clutching the emergency teleport - which she'd somehow managed to hang onto - in her hand. "What are you trying to say? You don't actually want to kill Donna? You're not going to betray the entire human race for an empty promise? You regret poisoning her slowly over the past six months? Or are you just trying to stall long enough for them to capture Donna?"

He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "When we first chose Donna, I didn't care about her. I'd made some bad decisions, wanted to forget about life here. The empress promised me the chance to escape all that, and all I had to do was give her the dosed coffee. She told me after I started that it was deadly, but that if I kept giving it to Donna, she'd be able to remove the particles once they reached the appropriate amount, and Donna would be safe. If I refused to continue, Donna would die, and they'd choose a new victim. "

He clenched his fist. "I didn't particularly care about Donna, but she was innocent, and I had no desire to be a murderer. I couldn't back out, and by the time she started to mention marriage, I had to agree to keep her alive." He glanced at her. "I don't care about Donna that way. I only agreed because I had to, but I don't want her death on my hands. I've been going along with everything because I had no other option, and I kept hoping I'd find some way to stop the Racnoss. Do you really think the Doctor will be able to save Donna?"

Lyssa nodded cautiously, deciding to take him at his word for now. "I think the empress will take the particles out if she catches her, and the Doctor will probably be able to figure out a way to remove them as well. But Lance - the Racnoss empress will turn on you. If you go back down there, you need to be careful!"

He shrugged, his face resigned. "What else can I do? I have to warn them, try and stop her in some way. I deserve whatever I get, for agreeing to this in the first place." He looked at his wristwatch. "I need to go, and so should you. Use your emergency teleport or whatever, just get out of here. And stay off the streets. If the empress manages to harvest the particles, she'll attack the streets, killing everyone she can to feed her children." He looked sick. "That was something she told me about a few weeks ago."

Lyssa felt a bit sick herself. "I'll try and warn the Doctor if he's in the TARDIS when I arrive," she said. "Try and stay safe. The Doctor should be able to stop the Racnoss in the end, but it'll be pretty dangerous for a while."

Lance eyed her steadily. "I think I know why he likes you so much." She frowned at him, but he just shook his head. "There's a look in his eyes, well hidden most of the time, but I know it because I see it in my own every day." He swallowed hard. "The Racnoss ship that I've been actively helping to wake up - when they leave, they're going to destroy the planet. Six billion innocent people, and I would have helped kill them. I don't know why, but the Doctor's eyes are filled with the same guilt and self-loathing I feel. But when he looks at you, it leaves. I don't have that," he said softly.

"I don't get it," Lyssa said, wrinkling her nose, but not acknowledging his comment about the Doctor's guilt, or the way it left when she was around. "What does that have to do with him liking me?"

Lance looked at her like it was obvious. "Lyssa, I just told you that I am partially responsible for the potential end of the Earth. I poisoned a woman I claimed to love and promised to cherish and protect. I hit you in the face, and have offered no proof that I've actually changed, and am not about to just hand you over to them. And you're still concerned about my safety, even though you're still mad at me. If that's how you treat me, what must you offer to someone you so obviously care about as much as him?" he finished in disbelief. "The Doctor may be there to protect you physically, but you... you heal his spirit."

He glanced at his wrist again and shook his head. "I need to go. Just, if I don't make it back..." He stood to his feet and offered her a hand up. She considered him for a moment before taking it, mind still reeling from his previous comment. "St. John's Cemetery, over by Polar Avenue. By the west entrance, there's a grave marked Elizabeth Bennett. She was my sister. Could you tell her I'm sorry?"

She nodded dumbly, blinking after him as he suddenly smiled sadly at her before taking off down the hallway back towards the elevator. She stood there a moment longer, then shook herself, trying to get her thoughts straight in her head. Opening up her palm, she looked down at the emergency teleport for a moment, thoughts elsewhere, then pressed down on the button with her thumb. Her surroundings immediately swirled around her, quickly reforming into the inside of the TARDIS, while she had to fight off the sudden nausea that struck. Time travel without a capsule _sucked_.

She grumbled to herself as she waited for her vision to reorient itself before she looked up to see the Doctor and Donna, standing by the open doors and looking outside at something in space. They turned around when they heard her, the Doctor's face instantly hardening, while Donna... Donna just looked sad.

"Lyssa? What are you doing here? More to the point, when did you leave, and why?" the Doctor asked immediately, shutting the doors and striding over to her.

She frowned. "I got off the elevator with Lance, we talked for a bit, then he came back down, and I went in here because it was safer. Why? Did something happen?"

"Lance didn't... try anything? He didn't hurt or threaten you?" the Doctor said carefully, looking in her eyes for any signs of deceit.

Her eyes slid away in an all too telling sign of guilt, angling her face away from him in an attempt to hide any possible redness or swelling that may have appeared. "He didn't threaten me, no. Why would he?"

"Lyssa..." The Doctor's voice held a warning note. "The empress just revealed that Lance had been working for her all along. He'd deliberately poisoned Donna, and you've just used the emergency teleport after being alone with him. And I can tell when you're hiding something from me. What is it?"

Lyssa bit her lip before looking back up at him sheepishly. "Lance isn't entirely on their side. He didn't know everything that would happen when he agreed to give the particles to Donna, and he didn't know they were poisonous until it was too late. By then, he had to keep giving them to her, or they would have killed both him and Donna and found a new victim. He told me the empress promised that once she removed the particles, Donna would be safe enough. In the meantime, he had to pretend to be wholly on their side."

"You expect me to believe Lance just kept poisoning Donna over the course of six months, unwillingly; and never warned her, never told anyone, never tried to seek help in any way?" the Doctor asked disbelievingly, his eyes hard. "And that it wasn't just some desperate bid to keep you from telling us all that happened once you used your teleport?"

She hesitated. "That's... actually kind of hard to say. I mean, he let me go, and I did see the two robot Santas leaving after he knocked me out, and he didn't just hand me over -"

"Hold on." The Doctor held up a hand. "Did you just say he knocked you out?"

She winced, seeing signs of the Oncoming Storm in his eyes. "Maybe?" she admitted nervously, wincing when Donna gasped, and the Doctor muttered something in another language under his breath. "But it saved my life!" she added hastily, before he could go and do something permanent. "After we left the elevator, there were two of the robots waiting. They saw me talking to him, and if he hadn't knocked me out and claimed he would take care of it, they probably would've either killed me or taken me down to the empress, where I most likely would've died anyways. He tried to make sure I was all right, and let me go after explaining a few things."

"Where did he hit you?" the Doctor demanded, his eyes like ice. "And how long were you out? A blow capable of knocking you out can cause permanent damage."

She gestured to her left cheek. "Right there. And I don't think it was very long, just a few minutes at most. I feel fine, it's - ow!" She hissed as his hand brushed against the bruise. "Just painful when you touch it," she finished wryly.

"Sorry." The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned her, growling when he saw the results. "You're still weak from earlier, and all this stress is wreaking havoc on your systems, not to mention the damage that could have resulted from you being knocked out. But it's too early to give you another pill. Just... try not to get your adrenaline up too much, all right? Take it easy, and don't do any running if you can help it. Give your system time to relax."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, cause we're definitely not hiding from an evil spider queen who wants to blow up the Earth."

The TARDIS suddenly began to shake violently, nearly knocking them all over. The Doctor grabbed Lyssa's arms to steady her, leading the way over to the console, where they all tried to stay balanced.

"What was that?" Donna demanded, some of her hair flopping into her face at a particularly violent shudder.

"Trouble," the Doctor said shortly, trying to regain control of the TARDIS as it continued to shake and spin. "Remember that little trick I pulled, particles pulling particles? It works in reverse, they're pulling us back!"

"Well, can't you stop it? Hasn't it got a handbrake? Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?" Donna tried over the sound of the rotor.

"Not like this," Lyssa called, her voice stuttering at a particularly large bump. "We're basically caught in a tractor beam, and unless we can break free somehow, we're stuck."

"The extrapolator!" the Doctor shouted suddenly, diving under the console and pulling out what looked like a large piece of circuit board and hooking it up to the console. "Can't stop it, but it should give us a good bump!" There was a wharping sound as they materialized before he whacked his fist on the extrapolator. "Now!" He grinned as the rotor began to move again briefly before stopping, for good this time. "We're about 200 yards to the right, this time. Come on!" He pushed open the door before turning to Lyssa, a worried look on his face.

She held up a hand to stop him. "I have a headache, and my jaw hurts, but otherwise I'm fine. I'm not letting you two go out there alone. I'll stick close to you, but I need to try and save Lance, if possible." She frowned. "Trouble is, I don't remember exactly when it happens."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her, but she refused to budge, and he finally sighed before nodding. "Fine. But you stay within eyesight at all times, and tell me if the pain gets any worse. Deal?"

She nodded, right as Donna barged in. "Hold on. What's supposed to happen to Lance? And what do you mean remember? Remember what?"

"I have a time machine, and Lyssa has some way of knowing what's going to happen in certain events. It's how she knew about the Racnoss. Really not the time," the Doctor said quickly, clutching Lyssa's hand in his and ushering Donna down the green-lit corridors once more, slowing his pace just enough so that Lyssa could keep up without exerting herself too much. They reached a door marked Torchwood - authorized personnel only and stopped in front of it, the Doctor pulling out a stethoscope and placing it on the door.

"What are we going to do?" Donna asked fearfully, trying to get her breath back.

"I don't know! I make it up as I go along! But trust me, I've got a history," the Doctor assured her, still listening to the door. "Ask Lyssa. She knows." He tilted his head at the brunette standing off to his right, but kept his eyes on the door, eyes narrowed in concentration.

"He's right. He doesn't know what's going on, and he usually does just make it up as he goes along. Either that, or he asks me. Clueless, that one," Lyssa teased.

"Lyssa..." the Doctor warned. She just stuck her tongue out at him, enjoying the hint of their usual banter.

"But I still don't understand," Donna said sadly, dropping the smile from Lyssa's face as she turned to the redhead. "I'm full of particles, but what for?"

"There's a Racnoss web at the center of the Earth, but my people unraveled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss are stuck," the Doctor explained. Lyssa, frowning at the sign on the door as he continued to ramble, turned her head as a movement in the corner of her eye caught her notice, and her eyes widened as she saw one of the robots dragging Donna away, its hand over her mouth as she fought against it wildly. "They need you to open it and you have never been so quiet," the Doctor said, finally noticing and spinning around, scanning the now empty corridor.

He groaned and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, putting the stethoscope back in his pocket. "I suppose she's been taken back to the empress?" Lyssa nodded, then jumped when the door opened to reveal an armed robot waiting for them. The Doctor reacted immediately, swinging Lyssa behind him with one hand and brandishing the sonic at the robot with the other as it raised its weapon. "Not on my watch," he snarled, vibrating his sonic at a high frequency, eyes narrowed as the robot began to quiver before slumping over, smoke pouring from a few crevices.

"Right, then. Just need the basic code, and..." he trailed off, bending over the robot's head and scanning it. "Got it!" he grinned triumphantly. "Now, all I need is the controller, a bit of jiggery-pokery, and we're done!" He began rifling through the robot's clothes, looking for hidden pockets, and laughing when he managed to produce the controller. "Hold on." His eyes narrowed as he flipped it over, pulling off the back and poking at the wires within. "Lyssa, could you run back to the TARDIS and find the small green lever just left of the monitor and flip it? Should be just what I need to finish this."

"Sure. Do you want me to come running back?" she teased. "As fast as I can? Which, granted, would probably be a really slow walk right now. Depends on how long it takes me to reach the TARDIS."

He snorted. "No. I'd prefer you stayed there, actually. I won't be able to hide you, and you're still not strong enough for me to feel comfortable letting you go in there virtually alone. In the TARDIS, you'll be safe, and there will no longer be an inhibiting signal flowing from this thing," he added, shaking the controller. "The TARDIS will put out a signal that cancels it, and grants me complete access."

"Uh-huh. And is the door gonna lock behind me once I step inside?" Lyssa questioned pointedly. "Because I know that's not beyond you."

He groaned. "Lyssa, we don't have time for this! Yes, I'm trying to get you out of the line of fire, but I'm also trying to stop Donna, and maybe even Lance, from being dropped down a hole to the center of the Earth. Could you please go flip that lever? The TARDIS will let you in, and I'll know as soon as the signal's stopped. Just please, be careful."

"Sorry." Lyssa had forgotten about the affianced couple's plight. She turned to go, then stopped, remembering something else. "Just remember, try not to lose your temper, all right?" She waited until he nodded, frowning at her, before scurrying back down the corridor, trying to go as fast as she could without getting out of breath. She pulled up to a stop outside the TARDIS, trying to get her breathing under control.

The door clicked open when she placed her hand on it, and she stepped into the console room , her eyes already scanning for the lever as she gently shut the door behind her. It turned out to be tiny, nearly invisible in its placement, blending into the console and the light it produced. She immediately flipped it, wondering if there would be any sound or light as she did so.

The only change was that the monitor flickered on, revealing the Doctor standing on a railing by the wall in a large chamber with a hole in the middle, his arms stretched out to catch somebody right as Donna, swinging on what looked like a spiderweb, slammed into the wall beneath him. There was no sign of Lance. Lyssa winced with the Doctor, seeing the look of resigned anger on Donna's face as she got back to her feet. There was no sound, but it seemed she could see what was going on. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver, staring at it curiously as it began blinking, before seeming to relax.

He switched his gaze, the screen following to show the hideous Racnoss empress for the first time. Shaped like a giant red spider with vaguely humanesque features and six eyes, she was not a pleasant sight to behold, even through a viewing screen. She and the Doctor exchanged threats before he revealed the robots to be under his complete control. He warned her one last time, his face hard, before throwing a handful of the Christmas baubles from earlier into the air, some of them hovering, and some of them going to surround the empress.

Everything seemed to happen too fast for her to keep track, and the next time she could see clearly, the Doctor was standing in the middle of water and flames, his eyes dark and full of pain as he watched the Racnoss burn, before pouring water blocked her vision and left her unable to see the Doctor. Lyssa turned away, feeling sick.

"Turn it off, please," she begged. There was a sympathetic sounding groan from the TARDIs as the monitor shut off again, leaving the console room quiet and empty. She swallowed hard, trying to get her thoughts in order as she paced nervously, before needing to sit down when her legs quickly grew tired again.

She sat down on the bench, drawing her knees up to her chest and burying her face in them, wrapping her arms loosely around her legs. She knew the Racnoss empress was going to die, had known it all along. It was the price of saving the Earth. She had known that the Doctor would be the one to bring her down, always standing between the Earth and death, usually at great cost to himself. But seeing it in real life - seeing the Doctor standing there, forcing himself to stand up after being knocked down time and again - because of Torchwood; because of humans, no less, facing down evil - when she could barely stand to be in a corridor, afraid of the walls? That hurt.

Because she had seen the pain in his eyes. He didn't want to have to kill the Racnoss, had offered them a way out. But the empress had refused, and he had stepped in, stopping her before she could hurt anyone else. And now... he could be dead. Was dead, in an alternate timeline, where there had been no one to stop him. And this one... This one was different, things had changed. Who's to say Donna hadn't been able to stop him, or hadn't turned and run as soon as she was able? He could be dead right now, and she had no way of knowing, because she was so weak that she'd been more of a hindrance than a help.

She only became aware that there were others in the TARDIS when an arm wrapped around her, hugging her to a wet chest. She gasped and flinched away from the cold, looking up to see a soaked Doctor sitting beside her, looking worried. She flung her arms around his neck before he could say anything, too glad to see he was all right to allow him to worry about her first.

"I was so worried!" she exclaimed, not caring about the fact that her dress was getting soaked as well. "The TARDIS showed a bit of what was happening, but then water blocked the camera she was using to view, or whatever, and I couldn't see anymore, and the last thing I saw was you, being surrounded by explosions and pouring water, and I was so worried, and, and -"

"Lyssa, breathe," the Doctor interrupted her sternly. She stopped and gasped for air, suddenly aware that she had been rambling. "I'm all right, and so's Donna, if a bit wet. She got me out of there, and the Racnoss have been stopped. The ship was defenseless once she used up all her Huon energy, and the humans were able to destroy it. We're all safe, and the danger's gone. You'll be stuck with me for a while yet. Does that help?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry." She turned back to Donna, who had been standing by the console, a small smile on her face, and just as soaked as the Doctor. "How are you doing, Donna?"

The older woman shrugged wearily. "I'm ready for my bed. This day has been long enough."

The Doctor got to his feet with a groan, helping Lyssa up and making his way over to the console. "I can help with that. Get you back home."

"But, is your ship all right?" Donna asked. "I mean, the spider lady was able to draw us back, and we couldn't stop her. Will you be able to fly to my house?"

"Donna, Donna, Donna." The Doctor shook his head in mock disappointment. "After all that's happened today, do you really doubt my ship? She's perfectly fine. I'll prove it to you, too," he challenged.

Lyssa chuckled, taking a firm grip on the console as the Doctor removed the extrapolator and started the TARDIS. "Shouldn't have done that, Donna. Don't you know better than to question boys when it comes to their cars?" she teased.

"Don't I know it," Donna mourned, imitating Lyssa and grabbing the railing as the TARDIS began to move. "I just thought he'd be a bit different, seein' as how he's a Martian, and all."

"I'm not a Martian," the Doctor said, in a weary tone that indicated he'd said it before - several times. They landed with a groan a few seconds later, and stepped outside to reveal what was evidently Donna's house. "There we go," the Doctor said proudly, patting the TARDIS. "Told you she'd be all right. She can survive anything."

"Even your bad piloting skills," Lyssa teased. "If she's made it this far, she probably isn't going to crash now. She's good at that sort of thing."

"More than I've done," Donna sighed.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and scanned her, although he kept a wary eye on her in case she decided to slap him again. "Nope! All the Huon particles are gone, no damage done. You're fine."

"Yeah, but apart from that, I missed my wedding, lost my job, and became a widow all in the same day... sort of," Donna said despondently.

"I couldn't save him," the Doctor apologized, glancing at Lyssa. She had guessed as much from his lack of appearance, but her shoulders still sagged at the confirmation.

"He deserved it." Donna tried to play it off as if she didn't care, but when the Doctor raised his eyebrows at her, her face softened. "No, he didn't." She looked around at the house, with the windows all lit up. "I'd better get inside. They'll be worried about me."

"Best Christmas present they could have," the Doctor commented, watching her parents embrace through the window. "Although, I forgot. You hate Christmas, don't you?"

She nodded emphatically, ignoring Lyssa's shocked look. "Yes, I do."

"Even if it snows?" the Doctor challenged, reaching inside the TARDIS and hitting a hidden lever by the door, sending a ball of light shooting up into the sky, where it exploded like a firework into softly falling snow.

"I can't believe you did that!" Donna laughed with delight, holding out a hand to catch a few snowflakes.

"Oh, basic atmospheric excitation," the Doctor said casually, slinging an arm around Lyssa before grinning at her.

"Merry Christmas," Donna offered with a smile, seeming to put aside her hatred of the holiday for the moment.

"And you... what are you going to do with yourself now?" the Doctor asked.

Donna shrugged, looking up at the falling snow. "Not getting married for starters. And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I dunno... travel... see a bit more of planet Earth... walk in the dust. Just... go out there and do something."

The Doctor glanced at Lyssa, seeming to ask her approval. She smiled at him and nodded, knowing what he was going to say. "Well, you could always... come with us," he offered tentatively, tugging on his ear with one hand.

Donna smiled gently at them. "No. I can't."

"No, that's fine," the Doctor said, feigning indifference.

"No, but really. Everything we did today, do you live your life like that?"

The Doctor hesitating before saying unconvincingly, "Not all the time."

"I think you do. And I couldn't," Donna said sadly.

"But you've seen it out there, it's beautiful," the Doctor protested.

"And terrible," the woman pointed out. "That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you were stood there like... I don't know... a stranger. And then you made it snow. I mean, you scare me to death!"

The Doctor's arm tightened around Lyssa at that, his body tensing, although he kept his face light. "Well, then." She curled her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Tell you what I will do, though," Donna offered. "Christmas dinner."

The Doctor shook his head immediately. "I don't do Christmas dinner."

"You did it last year, you said so. And you might as well because Mum always cooks enough for twenty."

The Doctor hesitated, glancing down at Lyssa, before seeming to come to a decision and shaking his head. "Lyssa's still weak. She needs to rest, and I need to check her out more thoroughly. And I don't think either of us are really up for dealing with more people right now. I'm sorry."

"No, that's alright. You do need to be checked, just in case," Donna said, looking at Lyssa. "And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what Lance did."

"It wasn't your fault," Lyssa pointed out. "And he might've save my life by hitting me anyways, so." She shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter. We're safe, and you're alive, which is what he intended. I guess this is goodbye."

"Will I ever see you again?"

The Doctor shrugged. "If we're lucky."

Lyssa gave a secretive smile. "If you want to see us again, just go looking for trouble. You'll usually find him, and where he is, I'm usually right behind."

"Unless you're in the Infirmary until I decide you're fully healed and actually able to spend five minutes outside the TARDIS without getting hurt in some way," the Doctor grumbled. "Or you haven't arrived yet."

"I'll keep that in mind," Donna nodded. "But... just promise me this. Find someone."

The Doctor drew back. "I don't need anyone. I've got Lyssa."

"But she's not always around, is she? You said so yourself, and today... you need someone to stop you when she's not around," Donna remarked quietly.

The Doctor was quiet for a minute before softly agreeing. "Thanks, then, Donna. Good luck, and just... be magnificent."

She laughed. "You know, I rather think I will be." She paused, her face becoming thoughtful. "Doctor. Your friend. What was her name?"

The Doctor didn't answer at first, turning around and bringing Lyssa back to the TARDIS. Then, turning around in the doorway, he looked at Donna, his face heavy. "Her name was Rose."

"Goodbye, Donna," Lyssa called from the doorway. Her eyes were tired, but her smile was right. "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not amazing."

Donna nodded. "I won't." She watched as the doors slowly shut, and the TARDIS, instead of dematerializing, shot straight up into the sky. She smiled sadly, then turned around and walked home.

xXx

A few days later, in a quiet cemetery, a freshly-dug plot of dirt could be seen, a new gravestone above it. Next to it sat a smaller gravestone, older, but well cared for. On one, read the name Elizabeth Bennett. The other, Lance Bennett. One, lost to cancer too soon. The other, paying for past mistakes. A purple hyacinth lay at the base of both of them. An apology. One, to a sister. For not being enough, for not taking care of her in her time of need. The other, to a man neither of them knew, but were sorry none the less for being unable to save him.

A woman dressed in mourning clothes, a veil covering her head, knelt by Lance's grave and carefully plucked the flower from his grave. "An apology, Doctor? This seems like Lyssa's influence," she murmured, her voice cultured and emotionless. "Rather late for that, I should think." She smelled the flower, a cold smile gracing her pale lips as the sweet scent floated on the air. "But, it's accurate enough, I suppose. You always were sorry, weren't you? But not sorry enough."

The smile fell from her lips as she snapped the flower in half and tossed the broken remains carelessly on the ground, the flower withering as it fell. "You will be sorry for what you've done," she promised bitterly. "You believed me dead, and you mourned, abandoning me to a life of torment as you left to grieve. The day will come when you find out who I am, and your hearts will break. This I promise."

The next moment, there was no one in the cemetery. Only the withered, broken remains of an apology lay on the ground.

* * *

 **A/N: Foreshadowing? Where? I don't see any...**

 **So, apparently, if you get knocked out by a blow to the head, and you don't wake after just a few minutes, it can cause serious and permanent brain damage. :/ Hence, why Lyssa awoke shortly after Lance hit her - and it wasn't a direct punch, either. It was a sideswipe. And something like that can knock you out because it snaps your head to the side, meaning your brain smacks into your skull, and KOs you. Medical lecture over.**

 **No, the name Elizabeth Bennett was not chosen with the Jane Austen character in mind. Why? Because I completely forgot all about her until I started wondering why the name sounded so familiar. I just liked that name over any other ones I might have picked. :/**

 **Also, the purple hyacinth typically represents asking for forgiveness/apologizing.**

 **Special Thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Fakira, Kosongbird, and Michael Thomas1 for reviewing!**

 ** _Fakira: Haha, that's okay... I won't complain. :D Thanks! I really hope you like this chapter..._**

 ** _Kosongbird: Erm... *coughs awkwardly* Plot twist? Lance was basically someone who's not exactly bad, but he's not exactly the greatest guy in the world either... And yeah, he hit her... And the Doctor was NOT happy. (There may be more on that next chapter) But he's dead now, so... ¯\\_(ツ_** ** _)_/¯ Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :D_**

 ** _Michael Thomas1: Thanks! I know there's always bound to be some elements of a story that are similar, but I'm also trying to keep my story unique, as well. And I plan to keep updating until I'm done (I already have all the end planned out, and everyone's going to hate it, mwahaha). This story has so much more to it that I'm incredibly excited to write about. I update every Saturday, and I personally think I would implode if I didn't finish this story, there's so much that I want to write. Thank you for your incredibly kind reviews, I love hearing from my readers, and they're incredibly motivating as well, knowing that people are enjoying my stories. I hope you liked this chapter! :)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	29. Chapter 29 - Smith and Jones, Part 1

Lyssa crossed her arms with a huff as she glared up at the Doctor from her position on the bed. The Doctor, remaining completely unaffected by the force of the glare, only laughed at her, though both of them made sure that their conversations were unable to be heard by the patient in the curtained bed a few yards away.

"Why did we decide it had to be me again?" she whined, rubbing her eyes. "I don't like hospital clothes, and I'm pretty sure we can both agree I've had to wear them far too often. Besides, what if they can tell there's something different about me?"

The Doctor waved a hand in the air and sat down in the chair next to her bed. "Their equipment's too primitive to detect the time energy in you, and you still appear fairly human otherwise. Besides, out of the two of us, which one has two audible heartbeats? And, might I add, you are the one out of the two of us who actually is sick. The best lie is the one that has some truth in it, you know."

Lyssa sneezed into her gown before wiping her nose. "Fairly human? Oh, gee, thanks. It's nice to know that I still appear fairly human. Thanks for letting me know about that earlier, by the way. And your point is irrelevant. It's just a cold," she insisted.

The Doctor leaned back in his chair and eyed her disbelievingly. "Yeah. All right. Just a cold that gives you a fever and makes you sleep half the day. Just a virus that came on when you were still trying to return to your normal energy levels. Definitely not something to be worried about at all." He lost the sarcastic tone momentarily. "But don't stress out and think you're not human because of the energy in you. Don't define yourself by your race. Define yourself by your deeds."

"That's... actually really deep," Lyssa acknowledged reluctantly. "And I'm not really freaking out because I suppose it's only logical that if you have time energy in your body, your body changes with it. You did tell me that my body changed so I could survive. I get that, and I've accepted it. Again, I guess I just thought that surely you'd have me bundled up in the Infirmary, and refused to let me leave, rather than here on Earth, where they can't accurately treat all my issues."

"I can't actually treat you until all your symptoms are present," the Doctor informed her. "Since this is something that affects your time levels, it will react a bit differently. Which means I need to make sure I have the correct diagnosis before I give you a treatment. Everything they could give you here won't really affect you, it just might even make you feel better. And, you know, we needed to check out this hospital. And if they detect any changes - which they shouldn't - it'll just seem like an abnormality. Lots of humans have heart defects, for example."

Lyssa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. More like you just wanted to get me out of the TARDIS, right?"

The Doctor shrugged, but had the grace to look slightly sheepish. It had been several weeks since Doomsday, and while Lyssa had improved a good deal mentally, she had been tired and reluctant to leave the entire time. After spotting something suspicious at the Royal Hope Hospital, he'd jumped at the chance to get Lyssa out of the TARDIS again, knowing she'd needed to start somewhere. They'd introduced themselves as a married couple so that the Doctor could remain with her, while Lyssa claimed to have trouble breathing.

"In a controlled environment, where they're almost as concerned for your health and safety as I am?" he asked. "I think it'd be a good way for you to start getting used to being outside again. It's a controlled environment, and this way you'll have the chance to get used to it before you jump again, into who knows what kind of situation."

Lyssa leaned back against her pillow and grinned at him. "What if I do end up jumping, and you're just visiting the planet of the fluffy pillows? I feel like that'd be a good place to visit. Nice and calm, no chance of us being abducted to the moon or anything."

The Doctor wrinkled his nose and chuckled. "Probably not. I've been there. The pillows are all carnivorous."

"Wait. Really?" Lyssa demanded incredulously. "Carnivorous pillows?"

The Doctor nodded solemnly. "Toothy little beasts, too. I've got a scar. Remind me, and I'll show you some time."

She snorted, and then started coughing, leaning forward in an attempt to get her breath back while the Doctor rubbed her back soothingly. After a long moment, she was able to suck in a deep breath and lean back against her pillow, gratefully accepting the cup of water he offered her from the table beside her bed.

"Sorry," she muttered, taking a sip from the cup. "Guess the idea of you running frantically from angry pillows was just too much for me to take. What were they doing, rolling after you?"

"Dragging themselves along by their tassels, more like," the Doctor objected, his lips twitching upwards at the memory. "Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'pillow fight.' You feeling all right now?"

She nodded, handing the cup back to him as he placed it on the table. "The water helped, I just wish I could get get over this already. It kind of sucks being sick and tired for the better part of a month. Are we any closer to figuring out why my levels got so depleted in the first place?"

The Doctor hemmed and hawed for a minute, rubbing the back of his neck before shrugging awkwardly, not looking her in the eye. "It might have had something to do with the stress of Canary Wharf, combined with a few other factors that I can't... quite... explain right now." He flashed her an apologetic look. "Sorry. I think I know a few things that could have caused it, but I can't explain them to you right now because you haven't learned them yet. And me telling you about them now could just make your symptoms worse due to the stress."

Lyssa groaned and fell back against her pillow, closing her eyes wearily. "Yay. More spoilers. I don't even want to know how big my head's going to be by the time I've figured out all the secrets that everybody's hiding. Might even be bigger than yours." She snicked at the sound of his indignant protest but didn't bother opening her eyes. "Shush," she declared, flapping her hand in his direction. "Sick patient trying to sleep here. Don't be rude. You're in a hospital, after all."

He grumbled, but settled into his chair with quiet mutterings about sassy Americans. She opened her eyes once to grin at him, before snuggling into her pillow. "Ya know, Americans aren't the only sassy ones," she informed him tiredly. "You seem to have quite a bit of it yourself. May I just remind you of your last regeneration? I think he's the sassiest out of all of you. Except for maybe Twelve. He's sassy and grumpy."

"Maybe I'm grumpy because I had to put up with your sass for so long," the Doctor said cheekily. "And maybe I'm sassy because I learned it from you. Did you ever think about that?"

Lyssa snorted. "That would only work if I was there from your first regeneration onwards." She peered up at him curiously. "Was I?"

He smiled at her fondly and shook his head. "No. It was quite a while for me before I met you. But I think you'll be meeting me soon. Well." He waggled his hand in the air. "Soonish."

Lyssa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay. 'Soonish.' That works out so well when you're a time traveler stuck traveling around another time traveler's timeline. Now I definitely have an exact timeframe."

"... You've been watching too many of those crime shows. You're getting to be too sarcastic."

She would have made some sort of scathing remark that would have definitely put him in his place, but right then, a group of med students and their teacher came into their ward, stopping by her bed.

"Ah, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith," the man who'd introduced himself as Stoker greeted them. "Good morning. And how are you feeling today?"

Lyssa muffled a cough into her gown as she slowly sat up and adjusted her pillow to rest behind her, the Doctor watching her closely as she did so. "I'm not awful, but I've definitely been better. Sometimes it seems like the coughing just doesn't want to stop, you know?"

Mr. Stoker nodded sagely. "Indeed." He turned to the students, Martha Jones foremost among them. "Lyssa Smith, admitted by her husband yesterday for trouble breathing. Jones, why don't you see what you can come up with?"

Martha nodded, stepping forward, although she looked puzzled when she spotted the Doctor. Lyssa merely hid a smile, knowing what was confusing her. "How'd you get here so fast?" Martha directed to him.

"Sorry?"

"On Chancery Street this morning, you came up to me and took your tie off, then went off in the opposite direction," she explained.

The Doctor still looked clueless. "Well, what did I do that for?"

"I don't know, you just did," Martha said, frowning at him.

"Not me, I've been with Lyssa all morning. Ask her. Or the nurses," the Doctor contradicted. "As if I'd leave her alone in a situation like this!"

"Well, it looked like you," Martha said slowly. "Have you got a brother?"

The Doctor reached over and grasped Lyssa's hand gently. "Not anymore, no. Just me. Me and Lyssa." She looked over at him and squeezed his hand a little tighter.

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones," Mr. Stoker interrupted impatiently.

"Oh, right. Sorry!" Martha apologized, pulling out her stethoscope and placing it on Lyssa's chest, moving it around slightly to listen to her heartbeat. She frowned and moved it a few times, making the Doctor sit up straighter in his chair, his eyes narrowed. Lyssa just blinked, wondering at the delay. She knew why Martha had done it in the show, but she definitely didn't have two hearts - that she knew for sure. So why was Martha having trouble now?

"I weep for future generations," Mr. Stoker drawled. "Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

"Um, I don't know," Martha stammered. "Pneumonia?"

"You were listening to the patient's heart, not her lungs. I don't see how you could have come to that conclusion without even first consulting the patient's chart - a basic technique," he rebuked her. He picked up the chart at the end of the bed, then flinched and dropped it when a sparking sound erupted from it.

"That happened to me this morning!" Martha exclaimed.

"I had the same thing on the door handle," a male intern agreed.

"And me, on the lift," another female chimed in.

"That's only to be expected. There's a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by, anyone?" Mr. Stoker waited.

"Benjamin Franklin!" the Doctor answered gleefully.

"Correct!" Mr. Stoker approved with a nod.

"My mate Ben, that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked... and then I got electrocuted!" the Doctor rambled.

"... Quite," Mr. Stoker agreed, eyeing the Doctor with concern.

"You'll have to forgive my husband, sir," Lyssa spoke up, giving the Doctor's hand a warning squeeze. "He's a history buff, and often likes to play those role-playing games with his friends. Spends too much time on them, I say," she sniffed, eyeing him sternly and ignoring his pout. "He needs to focus more on the present, rather than imagining what it would have been like to be there with Benjamin Franklin."

Mr. Stoker nodded, now seeming far less worried about the state of his mental health. "Ah, well, we all have our guilty pleasures, don't we?" He turned back to the students, leading them into the next area. "Moving on, we have..."

Lyssa waited until they were out of range to turn to the Doctor. "Benjamin Franklin?" she hissed incredulously. "Humans don't have time travel in this age! What were they supposed to think?"

"Not that I'm a nerd," he grumbled back, sounding miffed. "I've never actually played one of those games in the basement before." Lyssa leveled him with a flat stare, waiting until he finally gave in. "All right, you're making a face. What?"

"You're the biggest nerd there is," she informed him, pausing to cough into her gown again and take another sip of water. "You set the definition for nerd. And geek. And probably every other science-related thing out there." He opened his mouth to argue, and she held up a hand to stop him. "You literally drive a time machine." She smirked at the look on his face and waved a hand at him. "Now go away and check the electric fence or something. I need to sleep."

He snorted. "Yes, Mum," he teased. She opened one eye to glare at him halfheartedly before closing it again, silently cursing whatever space cold it was that made her so tired all of the time. "I want to take a look at the inner workings of this place, see if there's something suspicious around here. I've connected your vital stats to my sonic. I'll know if something changes," he told her quietly, running a hand along her forehead. She hummed something unintelligible, quickly dropping off to sleep. She'd come a long way since she was terrified to fall asleep alone, but blamed the cold for her being willing to fall asleep in strange surroundings.

It seemed she'd only slept a short time when everything started shaking, sending her flying off the bed and onto the floor with a painful jolt. Her eyes flew open with a groan, darting about frantically as she tried to place just where she was. It was so loud, though, and people were screaming.

She flinched back against the bed, clutching her head as she tried to reorient herself. She wasn't in Canary Wharf, she _knew_ that, could tell that she was in a hospital. But then the woman she knew as Adeola was kneeling in front of her, hands on her shoulders and shaking her. But Adeola was dead, she'd seen her - what was left of her, at any rate.

She shook her head desperately, trying to fling away the images. She _knew_ Adeola was dead, and therefore she couldn't be seeing her, _knew_ that Canary Wharf was gone, and she was in a hospital. She just... was seeing things. Hallucinating from the stress. Or maybe her rapid breathing, but she just couldn't seem to stop it.

The next moment the hands were gone, and new ones - familiar ones, that sent warmth flooding through her - were stroking her face, and she opened her eyes with relief to see the Doctor kneeling in front of her.

"Hey, Lyssa, it's all right, you're all right, I'm here," he told her softly. "I came back as soon as I noticed the rain was upside down. Can you believe that? Upside down rain?" he said with exaggerated incredulity.

She tried to calm her breathing and managed to huff a laugh that sounded more like a sigh. "I think - that that's - the least of our - problems right now," she managed between breaths, fighting the urge to cough.

"Well, the most important one is you calming down and remembering to breathe," he reminded her. "Why don't we start with that? Breathe with me, nice and slow." He grinned when she managed to take a longer breath. "Brilliant! Just keep breathing with me, focus on me and my lovely hair. Or my new suit. It's a lovely shade of blue, don't you think? Really brings out the flecks in my eyes."

She was rather proud of herself for being able to roll her eyes, her chest no longer heaving so visibly. "Or the new growths in your ego," she panted. "But yes, your hair is very nice and fluffy. Like a penguin's. Or maybe a duck's," she added, when his ego almost visibly increased.

He deflated and removed one hand to wag a finger at her. "That's rude. But I'll let it go just this once, you hear me? I have brilliant hair. I've gotten awards for my hair, I'll have you know."

She managed to grin weakly, before finally sagging to the ground, the Doctor sliding his hands to her shoulders to help support her. "I thought I was getting better," she whispered. "I was doing so well, and then I woke up when I hit the floor, and, and she was there, and she looked just like Adeola, and -"

"And you thought you were back at Canary Wharf," the Doctor finished grimly, shaking his head in anger at himself. "Lyssa, it's not your fault. You went through something traumatic, and you have been getting so much better. You woke up in a new environment, all alone, after being incredibly disoriented, and saw someone who looks a lot like another person who died. It's perfectly reasonably for that to happen, and you don't need to blame yourself at all. It's not your fault, all right?"

She hesitated for a minute, eyes on the tile floor, before nodding slowly.

"Good. I'm glad we got that cleared up. Do you think you can stand up? Because something tells me we're not in Kansas anymore, and it wasn't a tornado that did this."

"I think I can manage, Dorothy," Lyssa cracked, maintaining a straight face when he grimaced, lifting her to her feet and making sure she was steady before he released her.

"Here's your clothes," the Doctor informed her, pulling out a bag from by the chair and setting it on the bed, drawing the curtains around the bed. "I'll be right outside while you change, you should be able to hear me talking. Is that all right?"

She nodded, looking down. "I'm sorry that I'm such a bother."

"Hey." His hands were on her shoulders instantly, and he waited until her eyes met his before continuing. "You're not a bother, you're my best friend." He lifted the blue snowflake on her necklace and pressed it into her hand.

"And there's proof of it, I don't give those out to just anyone, you know. And there's an excellent reason for that, which you will learn soon enough. You're not a bother in any way, and I don't blame you for anything that happened. It's not your fault. You've saved more lives than I can count, even in just the few times you've jumped all ready, and other things have been changed for the better as well. So why don't you get changed into something that didn't go out of fashion with the dinosaurs, and help me do it again?"

She squeezed her charm tight for a moment, remembering the happy moment she got it, before taking a deep breath and letting it out, trying to listen to the Doctor's words. "All right. You go do whatever it is you were planning on doing, and I'll get changed real quick."

He grinned at her before ducking out of the curtain, leaving her alone in the small area. She took another deep breath to fortify herself, before opening the small bag and quickly changing, relieved to be out of the hospital gown. Once she was dressed in a purple shirt, jeans, and thigh-high boots, she pushed open the curtains and followed the sound of the Doctor's voice, where he was staring outside a window next to - _Martha Jones_ \- she reminded herself firmly, and there was a crying woman as well - one of the interns from earlier beside them.

The windows had gone dark, and when she joined them, she could see why. The Earth hanging in the place the moon would normally go made it abundantly clear where they were. A trip to the moon without the normally high cost in dollars, but a potentially astronomical cost in innocent lives if things went wrong.

She had the best vacations.

"Well, then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?" the Doctor asked the medical student.

"But, we can't be," the crying woman sobbed.

"Obviously we are, so don't waste my time," the Doctor complained, before brightening when he saw Lyssa, tugging her under his arm. "Lyssa, this is Martha Jones, Martha, meet Lyssa. Martha was just going to help me figure this out. So, is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or... ?"

Martha nodded, smiling in greeting at Lyssa. "By the patients' lounge, yeah. Nice to meet you. Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to startle you," she said diplomatically.

Lyssa flushed. "Oh, no. Sorry. I get startled rather easy, I guess. Long story. Nice to meet you too."

"Fancy going out?" the Doctor offered Martha.

She shrugged. "Okay."

He frowned curiously at her. "We might die."

"We might not," she returned, raising an eyebrow.

The Doctor grinned. "Good! C'mon. Not her, she'd hold us up," he mentioned, jerking a thumb at the crying intern. Lyssa swung her elbow into his ribs. He grunted, holding his ribs in pain. "What was that for?"

"That was rude!" she hissed. Stepping out from under his arm, she made her way over to the woman. "It'll be all right in the end, you'll see," she promised. "He's just completely oblivious about manners and things like that," she said, glaring over her shoulder at the pouting Doctor. "Why don't you go look after the patients? I'm sure they'll be needing some help," she prodded gently.

The woman sniffed and nodded, seeming to come back to awareness of her surroundings. "What about you? You're supposed to be in bed."

Lyssa smiled, looking over at the Doctor, who was waiting semi-patiently for her. "I've already got a Doctor to look out for me, don't worry. You just look out for the other patients, all right?" When the woman nodded and thanked her, she just shook her head and slipped back to the Doctor and Martha, the Doctor smiling proudly at her as they followed Martha through the halls. "What's that look for?" she whispered.

He linked his hand with hers. "You. You just barely got over a panic attack - which was completely understandable, by the way - and went out of your way to encourage someone who was on the verge of their own. That's what's so special about you, Lyssa. You're always looking out for others, even when you're still hurting yourself."

She wrinkled her nose, then regretted it when it made her sneeze. "It didn't seem right to just leave her there."

"No," the Doctor agreed. "But you were the only one who did anything about it." The conversation halted as they reached the patients lounge and pushed open the doors, stepping out onto the balcony into the darkness of space.

"We've got air! How does that work?" Martha exclaimed, taking a few experimental breaths.

"Just be glad it does," the Doctor murmured.

"I've got a party tonight. It's my brother's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really... really..." Martha trailed off, staring at the distant Earth.

"You okay?" the Doctor questioned.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded again. "Yeah."

"Do you want to go back in?" the Doctor tried, not wanting to upset the hitherto brave medical student. He glanced at Lyssa to check on her, and she just smiled and shook her head, looking around at all the stars.

"No way!" Martha denied immediately. "I mean, we could die at any minute, but all the same, it's beautiful."

"You think?" the Doctor asked curiously, tilting his head to the side as he studied the young woman.

She nodded, a sad smile on her face. "How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are."

"Standing in the earthlight."

"Very poetic," Lyssa applauded.

Martha drew in a deep breath. "What do you think happened?"

The Doctor shrugged. "What do _you_ think happened?"

"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded man, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things. I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home," Martha said sadly.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said quietly.

"Yeah."

"We were there. In the battle," the Doctor said, squeezing Lyssa's hand gently.

Martha straightened her shoulders in determination. "I promise you, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, we can travel back. There's got to be a way."

"It's not Smith. That's not my real name," the Doctor mentioned.

She frowned at them. "Who are you, then?"

"I'm the Doctor."

Lyssa grinned, loosening her fingers from the Doctor's so she could explore the balcony a bit more. The stars set a beautiful backdrop to the squabbling behind her about whether or not the Doctor really was a Doctor, before Martha finally declared he would have to earn that title.

"What about you, then?" Martha asked, drawing Lyssa's attention to her. "Do you have a different name, or title? I suppose you're not married, either, no wedding rings for either of you."

The Doctor linked his hand back up with Lyssa's, tugging her over to them. "I come from a different culture. And just call her Lyssa. She gets all grumpy if you call her Miss Devons."

She rolled her eyes. "Only because you did it to irritate me." She turned to Martha, who was watching them with a confused look. "Just ignore him. And call me Lyssa."

"Oi! If she ignores me, how am I supposed to earn my title?" the Doctor protested.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't see you doing anything to earn it anyways." She stopped, turning to the side as another series of coughs racked through her. "Sorry," she muttered when she was done.

"No, it just means that I'll need to work a bit faster," the Doctor said, both him and Martha watching her with concern. "Maybe you should sit down on the bench?"

"I'm so sorry, I forgot you were still sick," Martha apologized. "Do you need to go back to your bed?"

She shook her head, tightening her hand around the Doctor's. "I need to stay here with him. I'll just try not to do anything that will aggravate my throat."

The Doctor nodded reluctant agreement. "If she goes back to her bed, she'll just worry, and that won't be good for anyone. I'll just get started." He leaned down and picked up a rock from the ground, throwing it off the balcony. All of them watched as it bounced off an invisible shield some distance away. "There must be a force field keeping the air in."

"What happens when it runs out?" Martha asked sharply.

"How many people in this hospital?" the Doctor asked simply.

She frowned in concentration. "Maybe a thousand? I don't know for sure."

"One thousand people. Suffocating," he told her solemnly.

"Who would do that?" she demanded, aghast.

Lyssa looked up as three tall, cylindrical ships landed on the moon outside the force field. "I think we're about to meet them," she gulped. They all watched silently as the doors hissed open, and tall, large creatures with what seemed like enormous heads covered in black helmets marched out towards the hospital.

"Aliens. Those're aliens. Real, proper, aliens," Martha stated in disbelief.

The Doctor's face was much more grim as he exchanged a glance with Lyssa. "Judoon."

* * *

 **A/N: I definitely didn't hide any Easter eggs in this chapter, nope. Nuh-uh. :D**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to GosaJane, Michael Thomas1, and TheProtectorOfHim for reviewing! (And I'm sorry if I missed anyone else. My notifications have been acting up, and I haven't been getting most of them, don't know why, though. Hopefully it'll be fixed soon.)**

 ** _GosaJane: As long as it was a scream of delight and not terror, I'm all good. XD I love hearing that people are looking forward to and enjoying each new chapter. Not much this chapter, more of a lead up to future chapters... mwahahaha Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _Michael Thomas1: Yep! I already have the ending to this story, and a potential sequel all planned out (And everyone's gonna hate it. Mwhahaha) Thank you for reviewing, it's always good to hear from my readers, and know that they enjoy it. :)_**

 ** _TheProtectorofHim: Aww, that makes me happy to hear you like it that much when you're only halfway through. :D As for where the idea came from... I guess, I always have potential story ideas running through my head. No joke, counting my two published in progress stories, I have probably at least seven different story ideas in my head that I'm working on at different times. I've had this one ruminating up there for a while, but I didn't have a good beginning, so I waited to even write it until I could come up with a semi-decent way for Lyssa to enter the Whoniverse. And on the other hand, many of the significant plot points of this story have hit me out of nowhere. So it's a combination of both, I think. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	30. Chapter 30 - Smith and Jones, Part 2

The Doctor turned and charged out of the room, running towards the entrance to the hospital. He stopped on a mezzanine above the first floor, and crouched behind a large potted plant, the other two copying his movements as they peered down at the first floor far below.

People were running and screaming as the Judoon entered the hospital, although one brave man stepped forward and tried to greet them, only to get shoved into a wall for his actions. They assimilated the English language from his speech, then marked him as a human with a cross on his hand before continuing further into the hospital.

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop. I like the little shops," the Doctor exclaimed, peering over the railing at it.

"What is your obsession with little shops?" Lyssa whispered, pulling him back into hiding. "They just offer overpriced stuff that you can get cheaper at other stores."

He grimaced. "Once you've spent long enough in a hospital, anything they offer as a distraction is welcome."

Lyssa blinked, taken aback. He liked them because he associated them with a reprieve from some kind of emotional or mental pain? She... had honestly not expected that. Though, to be fair, she'd never really expected him to be the type of person to spend a great deal of time in a hospital for whatever reason, unless it was on an adventure, like on New Earth.

"Yeah, never mind that," Martha hissed. "What are the Judoon?"

"Galactic police. Well, police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs," the Doctor said seriously, watching them catalog another poor man who seemed scared out of his mind.

"And they brought us to the moon," Martha pointed out.

"Neutral territory. According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop," the Doctor said.

"Which should be illegal," Lyssa grumbled, sneezing into her shirt and sniffling before continuing. "They basically kidnapped us."

"What's that about 'galactic law'? Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?" Martha guessed.

"If we are, it's only because they kidnapped us and brought us here," Lyssa pointed out. "They wouldn't have much ground to stand on in court, although I doubt this lot sees much of the inside of a courtroom. They don't seem to be the type that follows the official rules all that much."

"They're not," the Doctor told her grimly. "And we're not trespassing. But I like that. Good thinking. No, it's more simple. They're making a catalog, it means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me. And possibly Lyssa." He glanced down at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm not sure if the scans will pick up on any abnormalities or not."

"Why would it be bad?" Martha asked cluelessly. He looked at her, making her hesitate before shaking her head. "Oh, you're kidding me." He raised an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that."

He shrugged. "Come on, then." He grabbed Lyssa's hand and stood up. "Need to find an administration office. Are you up to the running that's bound to ensue at some point?"

"Do I have a choice?" Lyssa snarked.

He shrugged. "Probably not. Now then, let's go!" He started off down a hallway.

"Wait! The offices are down this corridor!" Martha called after them, standing by the opposite end of the mezzanine. He turned around and grinned sheepishly.

"After you, then."

Shaking her head, Martha led the way down the corridor, towards an office halfway down, all of them stopping when another scream rang out, this time filled with pain before it abruptly ended. Lyssa gasped and paled, turning to the Doctor with a frightened face. "That wasn't just a cry of fear."

He shook his head grimly. "No. It wasn't."

"What do you mean? What are they doing?" Martha asked, eyes switching between the two of them. "What just happened?"

"The Judoon aren't like the Earth police, Martha," the Doctor said quietly. "They charge you with a crime, judge you, and carry out sentence all at once. If someone attacked them, they would be sentenced to death."

Lyssa sucked in a breath. "I think... I think I remember this. Someone tried to hit one of them with a pot. He was afraid of them. He didn't even do any damage. But they killed him."

"What do you mean?" Martha asked sharply. "Remember? How could you remember it? Is that part of that whole..." she lowered her voice. "'Alien' thing you were talking about earlier?"

"This looks like the right place," the Doctor announced as he strolled into the office, avoiding the question. "Martha, go see where they're at. I'm going to try and take a look at this computer, see what I can find out." She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, but obeyed, leaving the Doctor and Lyssa alone in the office as the Doctor sat down in the chair and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, gesturing for Lyssa to take the other. "You feeling all right?" he asked, focused on the computer.

She took a minute to catch her breath, then mentally assessed how she was feeling. "I don't feel as sleepy as I did earlier. My nose is still stuffy, and I feel like there's something pounding..."

"In your head?"

She shook her head. "It's weird, but it feels more like... it's inside my heart? That makes no sense, I know, but that's how it feels." She stopped when she saw his face. "Doctor? Doctor, what is it? What's wrong?"

He was staring at her with wide eyes, but at her question, he shook his head and assumed a casual look, concentrating on the computer. "Nothing's wrong. I just - I think I may have figured out what's wrong with you. Maybe. I might have to run more scans to be sure. But if I'm right, then we'll just have to let it run its course."

She frowned. "What is it, then?"

But she never got the chance to know, as just then, Martha came running in. "They're on the third floor. What's that thing?" she asked, panting.

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor said casually.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly," she said indignantly.

"No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic!" the Doctor protested, waving it around in the air as if to make his point.

Martha crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at him. "What else have you got, then? A laser spanner?"

He snorted. "I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman. And before you ask, no, I don't have a tricorder. It stopped working after Lyssa dropped it in her hot chocolate."

"I said I was sorry!"

The Doctor frowned as something flashed across the screen before hitting the side of the monitor. "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down." He threw himself back into his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. "Judoon platoon upon the moon," he mused, ignoring Lyssa's muffled snickers.

"'Cause I was just travelling past, I swear, I was just wandering. I wasn't looking for trouble, honestly, I wasn't, but I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now. Lyssa wasn't feeling that great anyways with her cold, so we checked in. I thought something was going on inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"But... what were they looking for?" Martha frowned, leaning against the wall.

"Something that looks human, but isn't," the Doctor explained, staring at the computer.

"Like you, apparently. Or Lyssa?" Martha pointed out.

"Like me, but not me. And definitely not like Lyssa," the Doctor said, twisting his sonic screwdriver in his hands.

"Haven't they got a photo?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Might be a shape changer."

Lyssa snorted. "Well, that'd be awkward now, wouldn't it. It'd certainly explain why they're cataloging everyone they find. Mark them, so you know it's not them."

"Well, whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find them?" Martha suggested. "I mean, if that's what they're here for."

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."

"All of us?" Martha demanded in shock. "But, we didn't even know they were here until now! Most of them still don't even know!"

Lyssa clenched her fist. "If they're willing to murder a man who attacked them basically in self defense, and caused them no harm, don't you think they'd be willing to murder an entire hospital? They kidnapped us and put us in an unbreathable atmosphere. If we don't go back to Earth soon, everyone will die anyways from lack of air."

"You know, you're awfully grumpy when you're sick," the Doctor mused. When Lyssa glared at him, he made a show of studying the computer. "Anyways, if I can find this thing first, we should be good to go. Oh!" He stood up from his chair in a frenzy. "They're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records!" He flopped back down in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. "Oh, that's clever."

"What are we looking for?" Martha asked impatiently.

He shook his head. "I don't know. Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a back-up."

"Just keep working," Martha suggested. "I'll go ask Mr. Stoker. Maybe he'll know."

Lyssa watched as the girl ran out of the room, then turned back to the Doctor as he continued fiddling with the computer, before standing up and shouting in triumph. "I've got it! Where's Martha?"

"She should be right down the hall. All the offices are in this area," Lyssa suggested. The Doctor nodded, getting to his feet and rushing out of the room. Lyssa grumbled, getting to her feet as well and making her way out of the room. "Always with the running. Just once, can't we have like a slug monster, or something, that _doesn't_ want to kill us?" she muttered, following the Doctor, only to run into his back. He and Martha were both staring at two humanoid creatures dressed in all black, and wearing motorcycle helmets.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted, turning around and nearly bowling Lyssa over. "Oh! Lyssa, you're here too, no time to chat, we've got to run!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the corridor, Martha close behind them. Making their way over to a stairwell, they ran down until they met the Judoon coming up. Making an about face, they dodged through another door onto the fourth floor, still pursued by the Slabs.

Lyssa felt her heart pounding in her chest as they ran, the Doctor's hand burning in hers so fiercely it almost burned her. But the Slabs were still running after them, and seemed to be almost gaining on them, so she kept running, trying to keep her breathing steady.

Then the Doctor pulled her into the radiology room, and she nearly collapsed on the floor as the Doctor soniced the door shut in the face of a slab. She barely had enough time to get behind the protective shielding with Martha at the Doctor's direction before her legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor.

The Doctor's eyes flashed to her, but he stayed by the machinery, eyes watchful as the Slab pounded on the door. "Martha, when I tell you, press the button!"

"I don't know which button! And shouldn't I be focused on your friend?" she called back, bending over Lyssa. "Just try and take steady breaths," she urged, grabbing the manual and flipping through it rapidly.

"It won't matter if the Slab breaks through that door and I can't stop him, so you better find out!" the Doctor shouted, sonicing the machinery. They all flinched as the door broke open and the Slab charged into the room. "Now!" he shouted. Her head resting on her knees, Lyssa looked up as Martha slammed her hand down on a big yellow button and the room was filled with a pale blue-green light before it stopped, and the room was silent.

"What did you do?" Martha demanded.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand percent. Killed him dead," the Doctor said with accomplishment, staring down at the still form by his feet.

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" Martha said, staring at him.

He grinned and shook his head wildly. "Nah, it's only radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it." He started bouncing and hopping, alternating his feet as he shook his hands wildly. "If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it..." He started shaking his left foot. "Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah, hold on." Removing his show, he threw his shoe into a nearby dustbin. "Done."

"You're completely mad," Martha stated flatly.

"Right. I look daft with one shoe," the Doctor stated assertively, removing his other shoe. "Barefoot on the moon!" He grinned, wiggling his now bare toes.

"You looked daft with both shoes on, so I'm not sure that this really helps that much," Lyssa pointed out weakly, getting to her feet shakily and joining them. "I mean, I don't think it was the shoes that really made the impression."

"Lyssa! You're... not looking as well as you did before," the Doctor said, trailing off and eyeing her suspiciously. "Are you feeling any different, or just tired from the running? There's an important distinction, and I need to know."

"I don't know." She shrugged helplessly. "I mean, I've been sick, so I haven't been feeling as energetic since I've been sick, but..." She placed a hand on her chest. "My heart was pounding again. Both ways. Like, it was beating really fast, and... the different way I told you about. And when we were running, my hand was really warm, too. It almost burned me."

The Doctor frowned, pacing the room in thought, but was interrupted by Martha. "So, since Lyssa seems to be all right, what's that thing? And where's it come from, the planet Zovirax?" she asked sarcastically.

"It's just a Slab. They're called 'Slabs'. Basic slave drones, see?" the Doctor asked, prodding at the drone with his foot. "Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one heck of a fetish."

"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan. It was working for her. Just like a servant," Martha said thoughtfully.

The Doctor nodded, only half paying attention as he glanced at Lyssa again worriedly, before pulling his sonic screwdriver out of the machinery. It was horribly burned, and clearly no longer usable. The look of heartbreak on his face was enough to make Lyssa cover her mouth in an effort to keep from breaking out in laughter.

"She was one of the patients, but..." Martha trailed off, remembering.

"My sonic screwdriver!"

"She had a straw, like some kind of vampire," Martha continued.

"I loved my sonic screwdriver!" the Doctor moaned pitifully, sending a hurt look at Lyssa when she doubled over in laughter. "Lyssa!" he exclaimed in betrayal.

"Doctor!" Martha exclaimed indignantly. Lyssa slowly stood back up, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Sorry!" the Doctor apologized blithely, flinging his screwdriver over his shoulder and smiling happily. "You called me 'Doctor'."

"Anyways," Martha stressed, not wanting to admit she had done just that. "Mrs. Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood!"

"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless, no. Yes, that's it, wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it!" the Doctor realized. "If she can assimilate Mr Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!"

"Why are we always running?" Lyssa moaned, trying to keep up with the Doctor and Martha as they jogged out of the room and down several hallways. "This much running can't be healthy."

The Doctor spun around and pulled them behind a water cooler, watching as the Slab charged down the hallway towards them. "Not for you right now, it's not. You need rest, and lots of it, or your body will literally force you to rest. As soon as we're done here, you're going straight back to the TARDIS to rest." He looked up as the Slab passed by them, apparently not noticing them. "That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs."

"Is that what Lyssa is to you, then?" Martha asked curiously, studying them both. "Cause, you called her 'Miss Devons', which means you're probably not married, but you said she wasn't quite... human, either."

"Humans!" the Doctor said in exasperation, rolling his eyes. "We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions. Come on." He pulled Lyssa to her feet, Martha following close behind as they traveled in the opposite direction of the Slab.

"'Humans'!" Martha mocked. "I'm still not so sure that you're an alien!"

They rounded a corner and stepped right in front of a Judoon, who shone a blue light in the Doctor's face and grunted. "Non-human."

"Oh, my gosh you really are!" Martha shrieked, staring at him with wide eyes.

"And again!" the Doctor exclaimed, grabbing both Lyssa and Martha by the arms and turning around, ducking and dodging as shots began to fly around them. They managed to pull into another stairwell and ran up another flight, locking the door behind them. Lyssa coughed into her sleeve, struggling a bit more than usual to catch her breath, though the reason why was immediately apparent. All around them, people were lying or sitting on the floor, gasping for breath. "They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."

Martha stopped halfway down by the female student from earlier, who was kneeling by an elderly patient with an oxygen mask in hand. "How much oxygen is there?"

The woman looked up at them, her eyes frightened. "Not enough for everyone here. We're going to run out."

The Doctor turned to Lyssa. "How are you feeling? Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Well enough. Probably for the same reason as Martha."

The Doctor turned to the future companion. "How are you doing?"

Martha shrugged. "I'm running on adrenaline."

"Welcome to my world," the Doctor grinned.

"What about the Judoon?" Martha questioned.

The Doctor dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Ah, great big lung reserves, it won't slow them down. Where's Mr Stoker's office?"

"It's this way," Martha directed, leaving the woman and leading the way to an office where Mr. Stoker lay dead on the floor, his face unnaturally pale and his eyes still open in death. Lyssa swallowed hard and looked away as the Doctor knelt by him. "She's gone! She was here, though," Martha protested, looking around for their errant criminal.

"Drained him dry," the Doctor noted, raising an eyebrow as he examined the body. "Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore."

"What was she doing on earth?" Martha wondered.

"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on." The Doctor stood up resolutely.

"Wait a minute," Martha said softly. The Doctor stood by the door as Martha knelt over the dead man and carefully closed his eyes for him, granting him one last dignity that he had never been afforded in life. Lyssa stepped outside the room and waited, unable to look at the dead man. After a moment, she was joined by the Doctor and Martha, while the Doctor paced the corridor.

"Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" He stopped and looked at the MRI sign. "Ah. She's as clever as me. Almost."

"Find the non-human. Execute." They all looked up as they heard the Judoon marching closer.

The Doctor growled and clenched his fist. "Stay here, both of you. You're going to have to buy me time." He looked at Lyssa, then down at her necklace with a calculating gaze. "You should be safe enough. I think it's early enough for that to work out. Just don't do anything that attracts attention to you in particular. As long as they just do a quick scan, you should be all right."

"Well, how do we do that?" Martha asked.

He sighed. "It means nothing to me," he told Lyssa firmly, looking her in the eye. "I would choose you a hundred times over, but I don't want any more attention on you than there has to be."

Lyssa nodded, though she felt an odd twinge in her heart as she did so. Attributing it to whatever was affecting her heart already, she smiled in reassurance. "It's all right. Genetic transfer, right?"

He smiled before turning to Martha. "Martha, I'm sorry. It's to save a thousand lives, and Lyssa. It means nothing to me, honestly nothing." He took her face in his hands and kissed her on the cheek next to her mouth then disappeared down the hallway.

Martha just sat there and stared. "What? That was..." She turned to Lyssa. "What the heck was that?"

She smiled disarmingly. "Genetic transfer. You're human, but now have alien DNA on you. It should be enough to distract them, at least."

Martha blinked. "I'm surprised you were all right with him kissing me. Aren't you two in a relationship?"

Lyssa flushed bright red. "What? No! I - We - we're best friends, but we're not dating! He doesn't see me that way." Her and crept up to fiddle with her necklace unconsciously. "To be honest, I thought he was going to kiss you on the mouth. I thought it was more accurate that way, or something."

Martha raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it is. But he didn't. He made sure to tell you that it meant nothing, and took care not to kiss me on the mouth. Not to mention how overprotective he is. Practically every other move he makes is to check on you. Are you sure you aren't dating?"

Lyssa was going to live to be a hundred years old, and still die with her cheeks bright red. "Positive," she managed to squeak out. Then the Judoon walked into their corridor, and it was funny how instantly her blush was gone.

"Find the non-human. Execute," the chief Judoon ordered.

Martha bravely stepped forward in front of Lyssa. "Now, listen. I know who you're looking for. She's this woman. She calls herself Florence."

Not listening, the Judoon stepped forward and scanned her with its light. "Human. With non-human traits suspected. Non-human traits confirmed. Authorize full scan," it ordered, pushing Martha back against the wall. "What are you? What are you?" it demanded.

Lyssa looked up as another Judoon towered over her, flinching away as it scanned her with its light, heart pounding in anticipation of what they would find. At last, though, it finished. "Human," it confirmed, taking her hand and marking it with a black 'X'.

The other Judoon finished with Martha's scan and handed her a slip of paper. "Confirmed: human. Traces of facial contact with non-human. Continue the search." The next part was directed at Martha. "You will need this"

"What is it?" Martha asked, staring at the unintelligible symbols.

"Compensation," it informed her abruptly.

"No, but wait! I can lead you to the killer!" Martha shouted, dropping the paper and taking off down the hallway towards the MRI room, only to be held back by the Judoon as they charged in there first. Lyssa followed at a bit slower pace, holding a hand to her chest when it began throbbing. Not like before. This time, it was much more painful, like a crushing pressure on her heart. Then she arrived in the room, and froze. An elderly woman stood up, wiping away a trickle of blood from her mouth, and the Doctor, lying pale and still on the floor.

"Now look what you've done! This poor man just died of fright!" The older woman scolded the Judoon.

"Scan him! Confirmation: Deceased," the Judoon chief announced.

Lyssa staggered back against the wall, clutching her chest as Martha argued with the Judoon, before finally taking the scanner and using it on the woman, proving that she had assimilated the Doctor's blood, and was the plasmavore. The pain was growing much more pronounced, and soon her legs gave out from underneath her, and she slid to the floor, only just supported by the wall at her back.

What was it River had said? She was connected to the Doctor's timeline, which meant that if he died, so did she. She panted for breath, only vaguely aware that the Judoon were firing shots, and had killed both the remaining Slab and the older woman - the plasmavore.

She felt a tickle in the back of her throat, and coughed, but then couldn't stop coughing, unable to get enough air from the thinning atmosphere. They were running out of air, and the Doctor was dead. The only plus side was that the Judoon were leaving. Still, that didn't make much of a difference when she had slumped over on her side because she could no longer support herself as she coughed and gasped for breath on the floor.

Slowly, a loud beeping managed to penetrate her consciousness, and she looked up to see Martha doing CPR on the Doctor's still form. But there was a problem, something Martha was forgetting. "Two hearts, Martha," she managed to croak groggily, wincing as another stab of pain shot through her heart. "Need to do it -ngh- on both sides." She laid her head back down on the floor, gasping for breath. It was becoming harder to breath, and she didn't think it was just because of the air.

But then the pain suddenly vanished, and she was able to take a deep breath right as the sound of coughing filled the room. Too weak to bother trying to get up, she rolled her head to the side to look and saw Martha collapse, finally giving in to the lack of air as the Doctor struggled to sit up, his eyes red. "The scanner. She did something to it," Martha breathed, before passing out completely.

Still too weak to get to his feet, the Doctor coughed and crawled his way over to the beeping machine, studying it for a minute before unplugging something, stopping the beeping. Now that the danger was gone, Lyssa was able to relax fully and rolled onto her back, closing her eyes in weariness. She heard something dragging above her, and opened her eyes to see the Doctor bending over her, looking almost as exhausted as she felt.

"Hey," she murmured.

His lips twitched into a smile. "Hey. I see you were being productive. Laying on the floor?"

She would have raised a hand to whack him, but didn't have the energy, closing her eyes sleepily. "It's floor appreciation day, didn't you know? Someone's got to do it."

He huffed a laugh, getting onto his knees and lifting her into his arms, before standing with a pained grunt. "I'm a bit worried about you. Hugging floors, what's next? Chairs?"

"Nah," she murmured, snuggling into his chest as he slowly walked out of the room. "I think my bed's looking much more inviting."

He snorted, coming to a stop by a window. "Come on, come on, come on. Come on, Judoon, reverse it!" He smiled and nudged Lyssa. "It's raining, Lyssa. It's raining on the moon." She managed to peek open her eyes to see the rain, falling upside down against the black backdrop of space, before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

xXx

When she woke up a few hours later, she was laying on her bed with the covers drawn up to her neck. She debated going back to sleep, but decided to get up and find the Doctor, hoping to get an answer on what was actually wrong with her. She reluctantly got out of bed and made her way to the console room, where she found him laying on the floor holding a book above his head, reading silently, though he sprang to his feet when he saw her.

"Lyssa! Are you leaving? You're golden again!"

She looked down at herself in surprise, noting the golden swirls forming around her hands and feet. "I guess so," she said. "I guess I've just been feeling so sick lately that I didn't notice. Although the nap seemed to help. I take it we came back to Earth, then?"

He nodded. "That reminds me. Wherever you end up, try to rest as much as possible. It should help with your symptoms, although you might just have to wait it out, as well."

"I'll try," she agreed. "But... real quick, before I go, because now I _am_ getting dizzy, why am I getting sick? You said you had it figured out?"

He hesitated, looking to the side awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck. "Long answer is too complicated, the short answer will leave you with more questions and is not entirely accurate. But we don't have time, so, the short answer, as concise as possible, is: puberty."

* * *

 **A/N: :D**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Michael Thomas1, AGBreads, TheProtectorOfHim, Fakira, Guest, E-man-dy-S, V, MageVicky, and Eternal Chronicler for reviewing!**

 ** _Michael Thomas1: Thanks! I love you too, lol (you're willing to read my work and put up with my issues, how could I not?) All my readers are awesome. : )_**

 ** _AGBreads: Good to know. :D Hope you liked this one too._**

 ** _TheProtectorOfHim: I've never actually had fish fingers and custard, but honestly... not entirely sure I want to, lol. Some advice for writing? Um... write what you want to see, not what others say you should (I.E. it's your story. I started writing this because I wanted to write something how I wanted to see it. And apparently how others wanted to see it, too. :D ) Make sure you proofread, but accept that mistakes can and will happen (Some still make me cringe to this day), but aren't the end of the world. Honestly, write for you. Write what you want. Don't let others stress you out. (Also, this is something that I somehow never learned until someone pointed it out, but put a line break between different characters speaking. It makes things a lot easier for the readers. Something I had to learn the hard way. If you already knew that, congrats! You're ahead of me, lol). Hope that helps! Thanks for reviewing! :D_**

 ** _Fakira: No worries, there seems to be a bug going around. :P Just glad you're feeling better. Yeah, Martha wasn't one of my favorites either, but I did like her, and this episode. :D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter!_**

 ** _Guest: Yup! Complete with rooms! (Always loved how the writes made him say that specifically because he had trouble saying it with an English accent)_**

 ** _E-man-dy-S: No worries. I know first hand how life can get in the way *Looks at me, posting several hours late* Yeah, the angry woman will definitely be making a reappearance at some point... she's rather important. But it's okay if you don't like her. That's what she's there for. *grins* And thanks! I hope you liked the second chapter as well. :)_**

 ** _V: Hahahaha, honestly, I love getting your reviews each and every time, they're always so... refreshing. I'm glad to hear you liked the last chapter, and hope you like this one! :)_**

 ** _MageVicky: No worries. Life can get in the way of everything. : / (It's okay. I promise not to tell anyone if you're old, lol. You are... forever young, like the elves. I prefer myself to think of it as, growing wiser, not older.) And don't worry about not being able to guess who the two people were... no one else could either, so you're good! And I wanted to give him a chance to say goodbye to Rose... he had to say it. And Lance still died, though not completely evil this time, and Lyssa is still down for the count. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Eternal Chronicler: Aww, thanks! It's nice to know that it's not completely predictable. And that you enjoyed it. :D (You want spoilers, you say? *grins* mwahahaha, I'm actually planning on revealing several very large "spoilers" very soon...) As for your questions...  
1) Tbh, it's become a bit of an inside joke with me. When I was younger, I wrote this atrocious Star Trek story where I did my best to kill off the main character every chapter [I thought I was making it interesting. Try awful]. As in, looking back, he should have died by like, chapter three. Lyssa getting a bit bruised is my homage to my cringe-worthy writing of my early teenage years. But, I promise, it doesn't last forever. And Lyssa will be sick for a bit, because she has to ride it out, but it is actually plot-relevant. (And yeah. She's totally why he has gray hairs.)  
2) Funny you should mention that... *peeks ahead to several chapters away* Yep. Lyssa to the rescue in short order.  
3) Ehhh, probably. I mean, I do have something planned right now, that will be a major change with long-lasting/permanent repercussions, but that's a ways away. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait and see... *laughs evilly* Definite drama will ensue.  
And I'm glad to know that they're not too OOC, as that's been one of my worries. And the questions were in no way bothersome. I love hearing from my reviewers, and yours was no exception! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter! : )_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	31. Chapter 31 - The Siren's Curse, Part 1

Lyssa rubbed her eyes as she floated in a golden vortex once more, the bright lights only serving to make her dizzy. She still didn't know what the Doctor had meant when he said she was going through puberty. She was twenty years old, for crying out loud. Somewhere around there.

She wasn't quite sure how long she'd been in this universe, but she didn't think she'd passed her birthday yet. She muffled a sigh and stared down at her hands, blurry under the twisting light. Hopefully she'd end up on the TARDIS again, and get the chance to rest. He'd been quite clear about her need to rest.

It was a shame she couldn't sleep while in the time vortex. It would have been a nice chance to rest depending on how long it took her to land, but it seemed like everything froze while she was there. She didn't really even feel that sick anymore - well, apart from the blazing heat that coursed through her body every so often.

But then there was a shift in the lighting, and all too soon she ended up sitting in a heap on the floor. Well, she ended up on the TARDIS again, but it didn't seem like she'd be getting the chance to rest anytime soon, judging by the way everything was shaking.

"Hold down the red button, Amy! No, not that red button, the other red button!"

"You pointed to that one!" A Scottish brogue protested angrily.

"I meant don't touch that one! We're tracking onto a distress call, not trying to reverse the feedback loop!"

"Well, it's not like you warned me about that!" Amy huffed.

"I shouldn't have had to! Look at Rory, he's pressing the lever I told him to, and he's not even asking questions! Follow his example!"

Well, she knew when she was now, at least. Somewhere during Eleven's timeline, following a distress call. The little boy scared of the monsters, maybe? Some version of River's call for help in the alternate timeline where she refused to kill the Doctor at Lake Silencio? Something that didn't follow any of the episodes she knew originally? It could have been Amy and Rory's honeymoon fiasco, as she recalled them having trouble while they were on their cruise, but if they were both here, that probably wasn't it.

Either way, she should probably get up there. If she could just get her legs to follow her bidding. Her departure from the time vortex seemed to have brought back all her previous symptoms, including her lack of energy and burning fever. She placed her hands on the wall and resolutely forced herself upwards. She seemed to be under the console, in the same place that Rory had found her when she'd first arrived here however many months ago it had been. Four months? Five?

It was rough going towards the stairs, as every time she'd thought she'd regained her balance, the TARDIS would shake again, threatening to send her tumbling to the floor. Still, she persevered, latching onto the railing for dear life as she struggled to navigate them. It was honestly much harder than it should have been, but she blamed that on her cold. Her "puberty-induced" cold, if the Doctor was to be believed.

"Are you guys going to stop shaking the TARDIS, or should I just wait until you land to come up?" she called at last, after one particularly violent jolt. There was a muffled intake of breath, before they evidently landed, as the shaking stopped completely after that. Then a mop of brown hair appeared over the side of the floor as the Doctor beamed down at her.

"Lyssa! You're here! And just in time, too. We were just about to leave, someone's sent out a distress signal. We would have gotten there sooner, but _someone_ ," he shot a glare back over his shoulder, "had to press the wrong button, and then I had to fix it."

"You gave me unclear instructions," Amy called back obstinately. "Hello, Lyssa! Don't listen to him, he's just grumpy he made a mistake."

She grinned and made her way up the stairs, putting a bit more weight than she'd like on the railings as she made her way up to the main floor, where the Doctor wasted no time in pulling her in for a hug. "Hello, Doctor. Nice to see you again. And Amy, and Rory the Roman! Hello!" she called cheerily as she pulled away from the Doctor to embrace the two companions. "Where've you been, then? Gotten into any trouble lately, or just about to?"

"Does 'both' count as an answer?" Rory countered, giving her a warm smile after he released her from the hug. "Because that about sums it up. We were just floating along when the Doctor said he'd gotten a signal and latched on. Then you got here, basically."

Lyssa grinned, then covered up a yawn with her hand as she followed the nurse towards the door, where the Doctor and Amy were already waiting for them. She rolled her eyes fondly, noticing the careful look Rory was giving her, switching his gaze between her and railing she had yet to let go of as she made her way over to the door.

"Don't worry about me, I've been getting plenty of sleep, I've just come down with a cold, or whatever space-time version of it there is," she assured him. "I already know I need rest, but I can't just leave you guys all on your own - you might need my help, depending on what's out there. I'll just take it easy as much as possible."

Rory looked her over then gave in. "As long as you tell me or the Doctor if anything changes. He'll have my head if it turns out you're sick with something serious, and I just let you go out into a potentially dangerous environment. Not to mention how _I'll_ feel."

"Agreed," Lyssa said easily. "I've had to face a lot of my limitations recently. This is more to see what's going on, and then come back to the TARDIS as long as I'm not needed, than it is to stay. I won't be much use if I'm so tired I can barely see straight. Or walk straight, for that matter," she added, finally letting go of the railing and peering out the open door. "Where are we?" She asked as they joined the Doctor, staring at their surroundings.

"It would seem to be the hold of a ship," the Doctor said, indicating the old wood around them, with supporting beams in place and the mucky water gathered in puddles on the floor. "Possibly a pirate ship. And that would be our way out, I believe," he gestured towards a ladder leading up towards a trapdoor set in the ceiling. "And," he sniffed the air. "Seventeenth century, somewhere in the middle of the sea, in the evening. Chances of a storm later."

"Well, are you going to get us out of here, _Captain_?" Amy asked sarcastically. "Or are we to stay down here forever?"

"So impatient," the Doctor complained, making his way up the ladder and trying the hatch. "It seems to be - a bit," he grunted, forcing his shoulder against it. "Stuck," he finished, pushing against it as the others joined him beneath. "Almost got it," he muttered, giving one more push before it finally gave way, flipping open to reveal a group of stunned sailors standing above the hatch, one of them wearing a captain's hat. "Yo ho ho," the Doctor grinned up at them. "Or does no one actually say that?"

xXx

Several very tense minutes later involving one very shouty captain, a gun waving about that made the Doctor very tense, and several unhelpful comments that did not defuse the situation at all, they were all roughly forced into the captain's cabin. Several of the sailors stood guard around them, while the captain stood behind his desk, staring at them suspiciously.

"We made no signal," he insisted stubbornly.

"Our sensors picked you up," the Doctor tried to explain, not for the first time. "Ship in distress."

"Sensors?" the captain growled. "Your words make no sense."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. Okay. Problem word. Seventeenth century. My ship automatically, er.. noticed-ish... that your ship was having some bother."

"That big blue crate?" the captain asked disbelievingly.

"'Tis more magic, Captain Avery. They're spirits. How else would they have found their way below decks?" one of the pirates demanded superstitiously.

"Well, I want to say multidimensional engineering," the Doctor started, "but since you lot had a problem with sensors I won't go there. Look, I'm the Doctor, this is Lyssa, Amy, and Rory. We're pirates, same as you. Arghhhhh!" He turned around as one of the pirates behind him shifted, then turned back around and flinched when he saw the captain had a gun aimed directly at his forehead. "Except for the gun thing, and the beardiness."

"You're stowaways! Only explanation," Captain Avery decided with a snarl, ignoring the extreme improbability of that possibility. "Eight days, we've been stranded here. Becalmed. You must have stowed away before we sailed.

"What do we do with them?" one of the pirates asked.

Avery smirked. "Oh, I think they deserve our hospitality." He jerked his head towards the door, and the four of them were surrounded by the pirates and dragged back out onto the main deck, where a plank had been placed over the side. "He can have all the water he wants there," he grinned. "Make him walk the plank, boys."

There was a cheer as they practically tossed the Doctor up onto the plank, making him stumble until he came to a halt by the edge of the unsteady plank.

"Doctor!" Lyssa called worriedly, straining against her captor. But he only laughed and let her struggle, too weak to do anything.

He glanced back at her and offered her a weak smile. "I suppose that laughing like that is in the job description. 'Can you do the laugh?' Check. Grab yourself a parrot. Welcome aboard."

"Stocks are low. Only one barrel of water remains," Avery said heavily. "We don't need four more empty bellies to fill. Take the doxies below to the galley. Set 'em to work. They won't need much feeding."

"Especially this brown-haired one. You doesn't look like you'll last that long," the pirate holding her commented under his breath with a laugh.

"Maybe that's cause you're about to murder my best friend," she hissed, stomping on his foot with as much venom as she could manage. "And don't think I don't know what you just called me."

He muttered a curse, then shoved her towards the hatch they'd come through previously, Amy being "escorted" a little more nicely behind her. He dropped her down the hatch with a little more force than was necessary, and she heard Amy and the Doctor yelling at him, while Rory tried to calm everybody down. She landed with a grunt and rolled onto her hands and knees as Amy dropped down behind her, just missing the large puddle of water a short distance away.

"You all right?" Amy asked, helping her up. Lyssa lifted a hand to her face as she accepted Amy's help, only to stop and stare at it in disbelief. "Lyssa? What is it?"

Lyssa stared at her hand a moment longer than clenched her fist, concealing the black spot that lay in the center of her palm. "Nothing. I just - I just realized I know where we are, that's all. We should look around, see if we can find anything useful."

Amy frowned at her, but nodded, turning to search the area. She stopped by a large chest against one of the walls, and opened it curiously, eyes brightening in triumph when she saw the large array of swords inside. "Now this could come in handy," she muttered, lifting one of them and weighing it experimentally. She spotted a long coat hanging on a hook nearby, a tricone hat balancing on top. She threw them on and then turned to Lyssa. "What about you?"

Lyssa shook her head. "I think I better sit this one out. I'm not feeling too good, and something tells me that going up there right now will only cause problems in the end. I'm gonna take a look around down here."

Amy squinted at her. "You're not feeling that well? Are you all right?"

Lyssa waved the hand that was clear, closing the chest lid and sitting on that. "I just need to take a break. I'm supposed to take it easy." She glanced down at her hand. "Although, in that case, maybe it would be for the best if I went up there. I'd definitely end up getting a rest, then, and who knows, she might even have something to take the edge off of this." She frowned, thinking the better of it. "But then again, if past occurrences are any indication, that would greatly upset the Doctor until he figured it out. Never mind, then."

"Edge off of what? And what's that on your hand? Did you get marker on it, or something?" Amy asked, craning her neck to look at Lyssa's hand.

"Or something," Lyssa muttered. "You'll find out when you get up there. Apologies in advance for anything the Doctor might say. For now, it's probably for the best that I don't go up there. Oh, and could you shut the hatch behind you when you go? It's important, I promise."

"Alright," the redhead said slowly, shooting her a concerned glance as she climbed up the ladder, sword in hand. "If you're sure."

Lyssa nodded urgently. "Go protect our boys. Give those pirates some of that Scottish sass you're so good at."

Amy grinned fiercely. "I have no problems with that. Stay safe, Lyssa." And with that, she bolted up the ladder and carefully shut the hatch behind her with a click.

Lyssa glanced down at her hand with a sigh and tried to recall what was going to happen. She knew that the Siren wasn't actually a villain, and that no one would actually die - except Rory, again, and that was towards the end, when he nearly drowned. She'd have to try and do something about that, keep Amy from being needlessly upset.

She flinched as she heard loud shouting erupt from the deck above her. There was a lot of scuffling, and then some muted talking, although she heard the Doctor shout something, sounding incredibly worried, and almost - frightened? He sounded scared to death.

And then she heard it.

And everything else - her tiredness, the pain in her knees from when she fell, the fever she felt burning through her despite the chill of the air around her - just faded away. All she could think about was the beautiful singing she heard, urging her to come closer.

It was so soothing, brushing away all the whispers of pain she felt, clearing away the cobwebs in her head. She stood up, her eyes fixed on the hatch. The angel of mercy was somewhere beyond there, she knew. She just had to get to it. She stumbled and fell when she tried to walk, smacking her forehead on the planks, but shook it off, trying to crawl towards the ladder. She had the fleeting thought that she nearly ate wood, and giggled, wondering at the light, airy feeling she had inside.

She hadn't felt this good since before Canary Wharf, and even the thought of it now did nothing to her - no thoughts of fear or pain, no overwhelming smell of blood that filled the room and stained her hands. She got to her feet again, ignoring the water that had now soaked the bottom of her boots and pants, focused only on getting closer to the source of that beautiful melody. She was so close. And then the hatch above opened, and a brilliant smile spread across her face. They were opening it up for her.

Instead, a large group of frightened men, one annoyed woman, and Rory, a confused frown on his face, came tumbling down, one of them shutting the hatch securely behind them.

"What'd you do that for?" Lyssa asked sadly, staring up at the hatch with a mournful look on her face as the singing slowly stopped.

The Doctor let go of Rory and ran up to her, his eyes searching her face frantically before he glanced at her hand and sucked in a breath, looking both worried and murderous at the same time. "Oh, no. Lyssa," he mourned, searching her eyes for any sign of her normal self. Behind him, the others shifted nervously, realizing that she had been marked as well.

She just smiled vacantly at him. "It's all right, Doctor." She craned her neck to search around behind him. "Why'd you lock her out? I heard her singing."

"They stopped me too," Rory told her sadly. "I wanted to go to her, but they wouldn't let me."

"What was that thing?" Amy asked, spinning around to interrogate the captain.

"The legend. The Siren," the captain elaborated, not noticing the way the Doctor stiffened at the word. "Many a merchant ship, laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed. Picking off the injured," he spat.

"Like a shark. A shark can smell blood," the pirate who'd shoved her down the hold said, his eyes darting everywhere nervously.

"OK. Just like a shark," the Doctor nodded. "In a dress. And singing. And green. A green singing shark in an evening gown." He noticed Lyssa staring at him and frowned. "What?"

She tilted her head to the side and giggled. "You're funny. I like you. 'A green singing shark in an evening gown'," she repeated, still giggling. "Dodgy mermaid sounds even funnier, though." He didn't smile though, just looked sad for some reason.

"The ship is cursed," Captain Avery said, clenching his fist. "I've lost too many men to her."

"Yeah, that's right. 'Cursed' is big with humans. Means bad things are happening, but you can't be bothered to find an explanation," the Doctor mocked, running a hand through his hair in agitation. He began to pace in the gathered water at their feet, stirring the water, not seeing Lyssa's pout. She'd hoped to see the Siren again.

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Rory said dreamily, hanging off of Amy.

She just glared at him, making Lyssa laugh. "Actually, I think you'll find she isn't. We have to leave. Right now."

"That thing of yours is really a ship?" Avery challenged skeptically.

"Well, it's not propelled by the wind," the Doctor said carefully.

"Show me. Weight anchor. Make it sail!" Avery ordered, drawing his gun once more and pointing it at the Doctor, who narrowed his eyes at him.

"And the gun's back. You're big on the gun thing aren't you? Freud would say you're compensating. Have you ever met Freud? No? Comfy sofa," he rambled, trying to ease off to the side slightly so that no one else was behind him in case the gun went off.

"Leave the cursed ones behind," one of the pirates decided. "The creature can have them."

"We don't want the Siren coming after us," the captain agreed.

The Doctor snarled at him, ignoring the gun pointed at him as he glared at the pirate, who suddenly looked very nervous. "They're only 'cursed' because you idiots shoved her down a hold and hurt her. Rory was only hurt trying to keep people from being hurt. And leave Lyssa, or any of my friends, behind, and it won't be the Siren you have to worry about."

Lyssa wrapped her arms around him from behind, smiling at the splashing sound her feet made. "It's okay, Doctor. We're all right. He's just grumpy he doesn't know what it's like yet. But I bet he will soon!"

He pulled away from her arms and turned around to face her fully, the pirate doing the same, looking nervous. "What do you mean?" The pirate suddenly cried out and lifted his leg from the water, something small and dark hanging from his leg.

"It's a leech!" Amy realized.

"Everyone out of the water!" the Doctor shouted, lifting Lyssa onto one of the crates and clambering onto one beside her, everyone else doing the same.

"It's bitten me, I'm bleeding!" the pirate shouted hysterically, staring at his hand in fright as the dreaded black spot appeared on his palm.

"She wants blood, why does she want blood?" the Doctor frantically tried to think.

Lyssa shrugged. "I'm not bleeding."

He spun around. "What?" His brow furrowed. "You're not bleeding? But then, that would mean it's not blood that makes her come. Or at least, not just blood. She's weeding out everyone who's been injured in any way, even if it's just a bruise from some idiot," he glared over his shoulder, "shoving you down some stairs. An extreme version of survival of the fittest." He sighed. "It's okay. We should be safe down here. No 'curse' is getting through three solid inches of timber."

Lyssa gasped as a beautiful women, bathed in an ethereal green light, sprung out of the water behind the Doctor and began to sing again, her voice washing away all her pains and sorrows. She held out her hand to the Siren, begging her to come take her away, but the Doctor held her back, ignoring her struggles.

"No, no, no!" he shouted as the pirate from before stumbled towards the Siren, his expression dazed. He let out a scream when he touched her, his body disappearing in a flash, and leaving only his hat behind. The Doctor grabbed his hat with one hand, and scooped Lyssa over his shoulder with the other, pushing an unwilling Rory out of the hold and into a hallway, followed by the others, before slamming the door shut behind him and bolting it.

"Safe?" Amy demanded immediately, swinging around on him.

He set Lyssa down gently, wrapping his arm around her shoulders possessively. "I have my good days and my bad days," he admitted.

"How did she get in?" Avery questioned. "We were sealed in - the hatch was shut!"

The Doctor frowned, pulling out his sonic and using it on the pirate's hat. "The bilge water - she's using water like a portal, a door. She can materialize through a single drop. We need to go somewhere with no water."

"Well, thank goodness we're not in the middle of the ocean," Amy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes when the Doctor plopped the now dry hat upon his head.

"Amy, we are in the middle of the ocean," Lyssa pointed out. "We're on a ship. Ships go in the ocean." She leaned backwards to peer up at the Doctor. "How come she doesn't know that, Doctor?" she asked in a stage whisper. "Ships go in water. But don't let Rory go in the water, or he'll drown. That'll make Amy really sad. But the Siren will get him, don't worry."

The Doctor stared at her. "Lyssa... do you know what's going to happen? Is something going to happen to Rory?"

She shrugged. "I don't know the future, I just work there." She burst out in a fit of giggles. "It was funny when you said that. And don't worry if Rory dies. He'll just come back in the end. He does that a lot."

"The magazine!" Captain Avery said suddenly.

"What?" Amy frowned, not understanding.

"He means the armory where the powder's stored," the Doctor explained, still staring at Lyssa.

"It's dry as a bone," Avery said assuredly.

"Good, let's go there," the Doctor said, starting to march down the hallway, only to come face to face with a gun yet again.

"I give the orders," Avery growled.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Ah. Worried because I'm wearing a hat now?" He gently pushed aside the gun and continued walking. "Nobody touch anything sharp! Come along, Lyssa."

"Uh, Doctor, we have a problem," Lyssa stalled. She grinned sheepishly when he turned back to her. "The Siren was nice and took away all the pain, but I still can't walk. At least, not far."

"What?" He charged back up to her, ignoring the pirates pushing past him. "Why can't you walk? What happened?"

She waved a hand nonchalantly in the air, although the effect was lost when she had to use her other hand to balance against the wall to keep from falling over. "It's not 'cause I fell, don't worry. I've just been sick for a while, you told me I'd be fine and just needed to rest and let it work its course." She tilted her head to the side. "Which, you know, I think I've been failing at. It's a good thing the Siren numbs it for me. It was getting kind of boring being all tired and sleepy all the time."

"You've been sick?" the Doctor furrowed his brow. "Lyssa, where have you come from?"

"We went to the moon with Martha. Judoon platoon upon the moon," she giggled. "Try saying that with an English accent. It's hard if you're Scottish. Amy should try it some time. Oh! You told me I was going through puberty. What'd you mean?"

"Puberty? What's that? Is it some kind of disease?" Captain Avery asked suspiciously.

"Maybe," Lyssa agreed conspiratorially. "Ask Rory. He's a nurse. He knows what it is, right, Amy?"

The redhead buried her face in her palm. "I'm not dealing with this right now. One's bad enough."

"Anyways, I don't think my legs will hold me up for very long. They're kind of tired after all the running I did earlier," Lyssa said, looking up at the Doctor innocently.

He ran a hand through his hair, looking even more worried now. "Canary Wharf. You've just come from Canary Wharf. But you - you're happy as a clam right now, and high as a kite. And you're not bleeding. No physical injury anywhere, as far as I can tell." He turned to Amy, eyes wide with realization. "It's not just physical wounds, it's mental! Any sort of trauma, physical or otherwise, and she marks you! And her singing, enough to hypnotize everyone she's marked. And just like a surgeon, she anesthetizes you before she takes you. Makes you feel all light and happy, and want to go to her."

"Yep! A Surgeon! Or a doctor," Lyssa grinned, although she lost her smile temporarily when she realized that her fever was coming back. Or, more accurately, she was starting to feel it again.

"What happened at Canary Wharf?" Amy frowned, keeping a tight hold on Rory.

The Doctor swallowed hard. "Death. Lots and lots of death." He scooped Lyssa up into his arms and started towards the magazine again. "It traumatized her, and here she is, laughing like she's forgotten all about it, like it never happened. The Siren - it must prey upon the weak and injured, and offer them respite from the pain, the darkness."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Amy asked, pulling Rory along behind her. "Not that the Siren kills them, I mean, but that she's not feeling the effects anymore?"

The Doctor shook his head. "It's a false, temporary fix. She was starting to come out of it when the Siren struck back there, and again now. If anything, it'll make it worse. Haven't you ever had that? Something hurts, and it goes away for a little while, but then it comes back again later, and it feels even worse now that you remember what it feels like for it not to hurt. It's like a drug. A temporary fix, but bad for you in the end. And right now, with what she's going through... it's not good for her. It can't be."

"Yeah, but what is she going through?" Amy asked. "All she said was that you told her it was puberty. And what does that even mean? She's like - well, I don't know how old she is right now, but she's an adult!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "It was a figure of speech, Pond. I didn't have much time to tell her, and I didn't know where she was going. I figured it was better than nothing. Because of the time in her body, it's causing changes. Adapting to host the timestream better, changing her. But it's not an easy process. It's the simplest answer to why she's sick." He changed the subject. "What are they doing up there?" He nodded towards the group of men clustered around a locked door.

"The key, Captain!" one of the pirates exclaimed, fiddling with a key ring. "It's gone!"

"How can it have gone?" Avery snapped.

The Doctor eyed the door. "Someone else had the same idea." He set Lyssa down and made sure she was steady before pushing the door open and entering the room cautiously, followed by the others. It was empty, save for the barrels of powder that sat by the wall.

"Barricade the door," Avery ordered. "And careful of that lantern! Those barrels are full of powder."

"Not all of them," Lyssa muttered, starting to feel more clearheaded and a bit ashamed of how completely uninhibited she had been a moment ago. "One of them holds a more precious cargo than anything else on this ship." She coughed into her sleeve, bemoaning the seeming sudden return of her symptoms.

The Doctor glanced at her, then joked, "Who's been sleeping in my gun room?"

Avery narrowed his eyes at a muffled sound, then whipped his hand over to one of the barrels and pulled off the lid, reaching in a hand and pulling out a young boy, setting him on the ground. "You fool. You fool boy. What are you doing here?" he demanded gruffly as the boy looked at the ground and coughed again.

"Who is he?" one of the pirates asked, frowning at him.

"What, is he not one of the crew?" the Doctor asked.

Avery shook his head. "He's my son. Come on, boy." He pulled forward a bench and sat the boy down on it, sitting beside him. "Now, what in heaven's name possessed you? Your mother will be searching for you." The boy looked down, making him suck in a breath of realization. "When?"

"Last winter. Fever," the boy said. "She told me all about you. How you were a Captain in the Navy. An honorable man, she said. How I would be proud to know you." He coughed into his hand. "I've come to join your crew."

The captain shook his head. "I don't want you," he said gruffly.

"You can't send me back. It's too late. We're a hundred miles from home," the boy pointed out.

"It's dangerous here. There's a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin," Avery tried to explain.

"What, the black spot?" the boy asked, holding out his hand. There, clear as the spot still visible on Rory and Lyssa's hand, was the black spot.

* * *

 **A/N: This always was one of my favorite episodes. And listening to the Siren's song while I wrote made it a whole lot more motivating... I recommend listening to it while you read, if you enjoy that sort of mystical music.**

 **Also, I had to change the title on here, as the full one wouldn't fit. : / All well. It's the same thing, in the end.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Eternal Chronicler, AGBreads, TheProtecterOfHim, Fakira, afionna262, V, and guest for reviewing!**

 ** _Eternal Chronicler: Well, that's good to hear! I know I've definitely worried about making the characters too out of character at times. So it's nice to know that you think I've been getting it pretty close, especially with Twelve - I agree, he is hard. And we'll be seeing Twelve again pretty soon, actually. And in an original adventure I've been planning for a while, so... :D As for the thirteenth Doctor, like I said in the author's note for... chapter 1, I think, I will not be including anything past season 9 of Doctor Who. I haven't seen any of it, so everything past season 9 will be all me. I do have some ideas as to what I want him to look like (I've actually included a hint in one of the earlier chapter), but nothing's set in stone yet. I'm not even sure I'll be including the Thirteenth Doctor until the end. But I agree. The truest companion is one who stays, even when he changes. Like Clara, and Rose, although granted, it took them a bit to get used to his new look. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _AGBreads: Thanks! Hope you like this chapter. :D_**

 ** _TheProtectorOfHim: Thanks! And you're welcome. :D Always glad to help out a fellow writer. As for Lyssa ever seeing her friends again, well, that depends. If you mean her friends from her old universe, the basic answer is, ultimately, no. If she does, it will not be real. She can't go back. : / Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like it. :)_**

 ** _Fakira: Of course! We're all human, and I've had to deal with a few bugs of my own this season. Hahaha, I'm glad I made you laugh (even with the side effect of making you look crazy - that's okay. Normal is overrated.) And the Doctor definitely has something up his sleeve. More on that in the next 2-3 chapters, I'm thinking. Of course, that's just for this issue... ;) And thanks! Getting wonderful reviews from my wonderful readers always makes my day, so thank you very much! Hope you like this new chapter! :D_**

 ** _afionna262: Aww, thanks! Reviews are always highly motivating to me, and I love seeing them all. I'm always glad to see that someone is enjoying my work (and that they find the Doctor and Lyssa's relationship adorable - I try). Hope you like this one! :D_**

 ** _V: Hahaha, no worries if you reviewed twice (you did, but I don't care - I loved them both, lol). I always love getting your reviews, they make me laugh every time. I'm glad to see you're enjoying it! Hope you like this new one, too!_**

 ** _Guest: A Time Lord? Well... maybe she is... maybe she isn't... *wicked grin* All I can say is that there is definitely no fob watch. No secret personality for Lyssa. At least, not at this point in time... :D As of this moment, Lyssa is human, with some extra, thanks to the time vortex in her body. More will be revealed later on. Thanks for reviewing!_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	32. Chapter 32 - The Siren's Curse, Part 2

Several minutes later, the Doctor had pulled Lyssa onto a bench next to him, wrapping his arms around her protectively while Amy and Rory sat down next to them. Lyssa was almost asleep as she lay against his arm, only half listening to the conversation. The remaining pirates stood, with Captain Avery's son standing quietly in the back, far more serious now that he'd learned the danger he was in.

"There's nothing wrong with the boy. He has no scars, and just a minor cough," Avery hissed in a low voice, sending a worried look at his son.

The Doctor nodded, grasping Lyssa's hand and looking down at the black spot, rubbing it with his thumb experimentally. "Yep. Ignore my last theory."

"He has his good days, and his bad days," Amy said patronizingly, threading her arm through her husband's, who was now much more lucid and rather ashamed of the way he had been acting.

"It's not just trauma. She's coming for all the sick and wounded. Anyone who's not up to par. Like a hunter chooses the weakest animal," the Doctor thought out loud, frowning.

"Okay, look, he's got a fever," Amy said dismissively.

The Doctor shook his head. "His fever, Rory's scratch, Lyssa's illness. The Siren knows it. Humans. second-rate. Damage too easily. It's only a matter of time before everyone gets bruised. My ship, it can sail us all away from here," he said, addressing his comment to Captain Avery. "You and me, we fetch it. Let's go," he said, laying Lyssa down on the bench before standing to his feet and jerking his head at the door.

Avery pulled out his gun and waved it about threateningly. "You're not the captain here, remember?"

Lyssa's head jerked up at the sound of the Siren's call, eyes darting over to a water bucket in the corner of the room, where the boy had taken off the lid. The Siren's arms popped out of the water, filling the room with an eerie green light before the Doctor snatched the lid off of a nearby barrel and forced it onto the barrel, shutting her out.

"The water's dangerous. That's how she gets through. One touch of her hand, and you're a dead man," Avery warned his son. "Don't let her in. You've been marked, Toby."

"He's been marked by the curse, you mean!" one of the pirates cried hysterically. "We'll all be cursed if we stay here!"

"It's not a curse. Curse means game over. Curse means we're helpless. We are not helpless!" the Doctor reprimanded him sternly. "Captain, what's our next move?"

Avery took of a golden pendant bearing the symbol of a mermaid and draped it around Toby's neck. "Wait with the boy," he ordered the two remaining pirates.

"Captain, we're all in danger here!" the first one protested.

Avery fixed him with a scathing glare. "I said wait here, and barricade the door after we've gone. You got a problem with that, Matthews?"

The pirate shrunk back and shook his head, averting his eyes from the stern gaze of his captain. "No, Captain."

"Doctor," Amy said hesitantly, tugging on his sleeve to grab his attention. "Are you sure you want to go?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "We have to get Lyssa, Rory and Toby away. She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling a saucepan, grating cheese."

"You sound like she's making a pizza," Lyssa grumbled, rubbing her eyes and sitting up with a yawn. "She's really not. And why would she boil a saucepan? Is that some obscure English word that I just don't know 'cause I'm not British?"

"I mean that she's boiling the water in a saucepan, silly," the Doctor informed her, rolling his eyes fondly. "I believe that's a universal concept, you're just too out of it to know any better. Stay here, try and get some rest. If I'd known you were sick, I'd never have let you off the TAR -" he hesitated and glanced at the pirates, all within easy hearing range. "The ship," he amended. "So take it easy, all right?"

"We'll keep an eye on her," Amy promised. "Just remember, if you get an itch, try not to scratch it."

"We've all got to go sometime," the Doctor said lightly, shrugging his shoulders. "There are worse ways than having your face snogged off by a dodgy mermaid." He frowned. "That's what you meant, earlier, didn't you?" he asked Lyssa. She shrugged, fighting another yawn before giving in and covering her mouth, wriggling in an attempt to get more comfortable.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement," she commented before shifting again and huffing. "Wooden ships and benches do not make the most comfortable seats."

"I'll try and see if I can find some satin cushions on my way back," the Doctor promised, patting her on the back consolingly. "Wouldn't want you to get bruised."

Lyssa snorted. "It's a bit late for that, don't you think? I'm pretty sure I ate dirt earlier, trying to get up the hatch. Which must have been a sight to see, now that I think about it. A young woman, high on a Siren's singing bites the dust. I could make it on YouTube! Anyways, you should probably get going. I think the Captain's getting impatient. No spoilers for this, just... don't place too much weight on your current theory." Her eyes sparkled with mischief, a welcome change to the dulled appearance they'd had earlier, whether from her fever, or her Siren-induced haze.

The Doctor winced. "Noted. Stay safe. Don't let the Siren take you, please." His fist clenched as he looked away and muttered something, and although she couldn't quite catch it, she thought she heard the word 'again' somewhere in the middle of it. He brushed his hand over her sweaty forehead before following Captain Avery out the door, shutting it securely behind them, and leaving an awkward silence behind them while the two remaining pirates piled up the barrels in front of the door to block it.

Toby ended up curled up on the floor, resting his back on the barrels while Matthews and the other pirate talked in hushed tones, glancing every now and then at the door with worried looks. Lyssa pulled her feet up onto the bench and wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to remember what she could about this episode, and if she needed to change anything.

She had vague memories about alluding to Rory's drowning, and bit her lip thoughtfully. While he would be fine in the end, it wasn't something she wanted to put Amy through needlessly. Plus, who knows what could have changed with her arrival here. Maybe she just needed to tie Rory to the mast, or something, when they all ended up on the deck. She huffed a laugh, regretting it when it triggered a coughing fit that left her slightly breathless, and Rory checking her forehead.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked her, subtly checking her pulse and breathing rate.

She rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Just the cold, or whatever. Something random will trigger it, and I'll start coughing. The Doctor that I saw last said I should be fine in the end, I just need to rest and wait it out. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I was just thinking about what Amy's reaction would be if I asked her if we could tie you to the mast, and it made me laugh."

"Okay." Rory eyed her, but dropped her wrist, evidently satisfied with the results - or unable to do anything about them if he wasn't. "Do I want to know why you want to tie me to the mast?"

Lyssa smiled innocently up at him. "Probably not. But going by the way Amy's judging you right now, she'd probably agree."

"Judging?" Rory turned his head towards his wife, only to find that she was indeed, watching him with a gaze that seemed to say she had judged him, and found him wanting. "Amy? What's wrong?"

She scoffed. "'The most beautiful thing you've ever seen?'" she parroted, sounding very put out.

He groaned, moving back over to her and resting his head on her shoulder. "Tell me I didn't actually say that."

"I could, but then I'd be lying," she hummed, not looking at him.

"I hereby apologize for anything I have said or will say under the influence," he said, his voice muffled by her shirt. "I don't really remember much of it, but it upset you, so I'm sorry."

Amy visibly melted, clearly forgiving him on the spot as she hid a small smile. "It's all right," she said, nudging him with her shoulder. "I know you were just being stupid. And speaking of being stupid..." She raised her voice. "What are you two doing?" she asked, directing everyone's attention to the two pirates, who had begun to pull the barrels away from the door.

"We're not staying here to mollycoddle the boy. The Captain's gone soft, it's time for us to leave," Matthews announced.

Toby got up, glaring at the two pirates with all the confidence of someone who know's he's in the right. "He told you to wait, you dog. He's your Captain, a Naval Officer. You're honor-bound to do as he tells you," he reprimanded them, the scorn audible in his voice.

Matthews scoffed. "'Honor-bound'?" he mocked. "Do you know what kind of ship this is? Do you know what your father does?"

Amy stood up and wrapped her arms around Toby protectively, staring Matthews down. "Don't listen to him, Toby."

"I'd be careful of what you say," Lyssa warned Matthews. "Amy's very protective, and I would hate to be on the receiving end of her ire. Especially if you were to do something stupid, and needlessly cruel," she added, standing up to add some force to her words, although the effect was lost when she visibly swayed.

Matthews just ignored them both, a sneer on his face as he looked at Toby. "We sail under the black flag. The Jolly Roger," he leered.

"Liar!" Toby shouted in outrage, lunging at the man before being pulled back by Amy and Rory. "He's no wicked pirate."

"Oh, you think so? I've seen your father gun down a thousand innocent men," Matthews retorted smugly. Toby huffed and wriggled out of Amy's arms while Lyssa glowered at the man, finding energy in her rage. Seeming completely unbothered by it, Matthews turned to the other pirate. "Get what treasure you can. I'll meet you in the row boat."

Toby darted forward before anyone could leave, a cutlass that he'd found held threateningly in his hand as he pointed it towards Matthews. "You're going to remain at your post," he retorted.

Matthews furrowed his brow. "I am not playing games with you, boy, now put that down," he warned, moving closer to the door while the others watched in tense silence.

"One more step and I'll run you through, you blackguard!" Toby shouted, narrowing the distance between the two.

"You don't know how to fight with a cutlass, boy," Matthews sneered. "Put it down before you hurt yourself. Again."

"Don't need to, do I?" Toby countered, lunging forward and carving a small cut on Matthew's hand.

He cried out and grasped his hand, wincing. "No!" He turned his hand over to reveal the black spot in the center of his palm. "You little swabber!" he glared.

"Congratulations. Made it to the menu. Probably shouldn't go out there now," Amy mocked him, still upset with the man.

He pulled out his gun, aiming it at Toby. "You little ape!"

"Don't!" Rory shouted, pushing Toby - who had merely raised his chin at the threat, seeming uncowed - behind him and holding a hand up in the air. "The powder will blow and kill us all!"

Matthews seemed to consider it before lowering his gun. The other pirate took the opportunity to unhook the keys from his belt and opening the door. "Mulligan, what are you doing?" Mulligan didn't respond, but the gleam in his eyes as he looked back at them seemed to say it all as he smirked before exiting, leaving the door wide open deliberately as he left.

"No honor among pirates, it seems," Amy remarked, watching the scene with a raised eyebrow.

Matthews made no comment, only lowering his gun and making haste to close the door and move the barrels back in front of it. After that, things seemed to calm down again as they all returned to their previous positions. But Matthews only hovered tensely in the corner, and they all flinched when they heard the Siren's singing return briefly, followed by a scream. Toby swallowed hard, pulling off his father's pendant and began to rub it with a cloth from his pocket in an effort to remain calm.

They got another scare a moment later when they heard pounding footsteps rushing towards them, then someone began to bang on the door. "Lyssa! Amy!" the Doctor shouted, Avery calling for his son behind him. "Open the door! Lyssa!"

Amy and Rory hastily got to their feet, hurrying to move the barrels away from the door. They had barely unblocked it when the Doctor pushed the door open, surging past them and snatching the pendant away from Toby, breathing heavily on it and fogging the surface while Avery watched worriedly from the door. At last he seemed to be satisfied, and dropped it back in Toby's lap, giving a thumbs-up to Avery and making him relax.

"Don't polish that!" he warned Toby as they left. "She can come through reflective surfaces." He cast a worried look at Lyssa as he left, shutting the door behind them. They were gone for another half hour, perhaps, and in that time they heard nothing from the Siren, only the occasional sound of glass breaking.

"I forgot about that bit," Lyssa murmured at last.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked. "About her being able to come out of the pendant?" Toby had wrapped the pendant in cloth and dropped it in one of the barrels of gunpowder after they left, but they all still kept a nervous eye on it every now and again.

Lyssa nodded, sneezing twice in a row before sighing and rubbing her arms. The night had gotten cooler, and while she would have welcomed it earlier, her fever seemed to be showing itself through chills now instead of heat. "Yeah. I mean, to be fair, I have had a lot on my mind, and it's not like it was a super big issue, considering the Doctor caught it in time, but I'm surprised I forgot about it, to be honest. It's one of the key parts of this epi - er, adventure," she stammered.

Amy looked at her curiously, but didn't press, likely all too familiar with her weird habits. They all looked up as the Doctor and Captain Avery returned, though with much less urgency. They were let in, and the door re-blocked, while the Doctor explained what they'd figured out so far. The Siren came through reflective surfaces, so they'd thrown all the reflective surfaces they could overboard, and broken the glass in the windows. Hopefully, that would keep the Siren at bay. Otherwise, their plan was to...

"Just wait?" Rory said incredulously.

"Not my most dynamic plan, I realize," the Doctor hedged.

"TARDIS?" Amy asked, wrinkling her nose.

"It's been towed." He grimaced at Amy's exclamation. "Sorry. We might be stuck here a while."

"So you're saying that we'll all just be stuck here below?" Rory frowned.

"The sea is still calm, like a mirror. If you go out on deck she'll rise up and attack you," Avery pointed out.

"It's okay. The calm won't last forever. When the wind picks up we'll all set sail," the Doctor tried to console them.

"Until it does, you'll have to hide down here," Avery commanded. "There's been enough lives lost. Mulligan tried to mutiny, but the Siren took him."

"In the meantime, I suggest we all get some sleep," the Doctor added. "We need to make sure that we're all well rested. If we're tired, that means we're more likely to make mistakes, and if we make mistakes, we're more likely to get injured."

Amy and Rory ended up curled up on the floor in one corner, while Avery and Toby took another, talking softly and having a much needed father-son talk, by the looks of it. Matthews... chose to sulk by one of the walls.

The Doctor tugged Lyssa over by the other wall, pulling off his coat and wrapping it around her when she shivered, tucking her under his arm. "Are you feeling all right?" he murmured, trying to check her pulse with all the subtlety of a freight train.

She burrowed into his chest, instinctively seeking his warmth. "Cold and tired," she grumbled. "How long is this going to last?"

"I don't know," he apologized, leaning his head back against the wooden planks. "When I last saw you dealing with something similar to this, you'd already gone through most of it by the time you jumped to me. I think you're going to end up dealing with most of it here, unfortunately. If we still had the TARDIS, it would be one thing, but here? On a wood ship with all the medical care of the seventeenth century, and an angry mermaid after us?" He sighed. "It's not going to be easy. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Lyssa mumbled, her eyes drooping. "And if we're going to be blaming each other, then blame me for forgetting to warn you about the glass. It's okay, though. In the end, it'll be all right. Just don't let Rory go swimming. It'll be bad for his health. Can we tie him to the mast? I kind of want to tie him to the mast."

The Doctor chuckled. "I think it's high time you went to sleep, fairy-girl. Amy and Rory are already out, and you need rest more than anyone. Just rest your head on my lap and go to sleep, all right? I'll wake you when it's time to get up."

She nodded and mumbled something in agreement, scooching and wriggling until her head was settled on his lap, curling up with the coat wrapped tightly around her. The last thing she noticed before she fell asleep was that the Doctor's coat smelled like him, and it was comforting enough that she had no dreams that night, keeping all memories of Canary Wharf far from her.

xXx

When she woke up an unknown amount of time later, Matthews, Avery and the Doctor were gone, although the Doctor had evidently tried to readjust her arms so that her head was still cushioned by them before he left. Amy also seemed to be gone, although Rory and Toby were both awake, the latter staring at his hand contemplatively.

"Has anything happened? How long was I asleep?" she asked blearily, rubbing her eyes as she sat up, the Doctor's coat sliding down and falling on her legs as she did so.

"Not long enough," Rory commented, giving her a brief look-over. "It's only been a few hours." There was a loud clap of thunder, followed by the ship rocking violently.

" - the sails!" the Doctor was heard faintly shouting. Rory and Lyssa exchanged a look before standing and darting out of the room, Toby close behind as they all ran to the deck, although Rory had to half carry her most of the distance. She had the feeling that he only brought her along because he didn't want to leave her alone, and otherwise would have insisted that she remain behind. They all stumbled a few times as more waves hit the ship, lightning flashing and thunder crashing as they staggered onto the deck in the rain, Amy joining them from another direction.

"To the riggings, you dogs!" Avery shouted, him and the Doctor already up there. "Let go the sails! Avast ye!" He jerked his head at some of the ropes and sails hanging at the front, holding onto some of his own. "Put the bunt into the slack of the clews," he instructed as they all grabbed hold of the rigging.

"I swear, he's making half of this stuff up," Amy grumbled, struggling to grab the ropes as they blew about in the wind.

"What we really need is some sort of phrase book," Rory countered.

"Toby! Find my coat. My compass is inside it, boy," Avery ordered his son, the Doctor trying to pull another rope, his soaked hair falling into his face. "Heave ho, you bilge rats!"

"Rats was all I heard," Rory complained. "You doing all right there, Lyssa?"

She nodded, pushing past the throbbing headache that was starting to form, struggling to be heard over the thunder. "Rory, hang onto the ropes! Tie one of them around your waist or something, if you can. It's really important, I promise!"

He shot her a confused look, but seemed to get the gist of the message and complied as well as he was able to, wrapping the ropes around his wrist before the rocking of the ship made him stagger as Toby came back, his father's coat in his arms.

He'd just reached the middle of the deck when something gold and heavy dropped out of Avery's coat, rolling on the floor. Lyssa watched in confusion before realizing that it was a crown - and most likely one Avery had stolen during his travels. Toby looked up at his father, hurt and betrayal written all across his face as he realized that Matthews' - wherever the pirate may be - comments were true, and his father was a pirate.

She forgot all about her troubles a moment later - the cold, the wet, the aches and chills traveling up and down her body - as the Siren sprang out of the crown's reflection, holding her hand out to Toby as she fixed her gaze on him, her hypnotic voice filling the air. The boy smiled, holding out his hand in return and walking towards her.

"Don't let her take you!" she heard someone shout desperately - Avery, perhaps? She wasn't very interested in their conversation when the Siren was there, soothing all her aches and pains away. "No!" the voice seemed to get more desperate, but Toby kept going, until he reached his goal, placing his hand in the Siren's, and vanishing with a scream that barely pierced the haze in her head.

She smiled as the Siren turned to her, holding out her hand and offering the same promise. She started to stumble forwards, only to be disappointed when she suddenly vanished, leaving them alone on the waters once more. She staggered to the edge of the ship, peering out into the waters in search of the elusive Siren as Avery apologized to the air behind her.

"You couldn't give up the gold could you?" the Doctor shouted angrily. "That's why you turned pirate! Your commission, your wife, your son. Just how much is that treasure worth to you, man?"

Lyssa looked up at a loud noise and flinched as the main yardarm swung around and hit Rory in the chest, sending him flying backwards. The rope on his wrist, tied loosely over his shirt, held tight enough that he was able to hold on to the yardarm temporarily as it swung over the water, before the rolling movements were too much for him and he pitched into the water, struggling when he resurfaced briefly before sinking once more.

"Rory!" Amy shouted, racing to the side. "He's not coming up! I'm going in after him!" she declared.

"No!" the Doctor denied her, sounding just as worried. "He's drowning. You go in after him and you'll drown too. There's only one thing that can save him now."

"What are you talking about?" Amy demanded.

"Her," Lyssa said dreamily, staring out at the rolling waters with only a faint memory of concern as Rory managed to come up briefly before sinking again all too quickly under the waves. "She wants him."

"Lyssa's right. The Siren. The Siren, she wants him. We have to release her," the Doctor explained urgently, heading for the water barrel. He ignored Amy's protests and pulled off the lid, releasing the Siren, who floated in the air above them, her mysterious melody filling the air. "He's drowning! Go save him!" he directed, pointing at Rory.

The Siren barely hesitated before taking off, her green glow sinking beneath the waves before disappearing, then floating out of the water in front of Lyssa, her expression calm as ever, and no sign of Rory.

"Lyssa, no!" the Doctor shouted.

But it was too late. The Siren was too close, and with a touch of their hands, Lyssa screamed as she felt herself being pulled in a dozen different directions at once. It wasn't even so much pain as it was just the shock of it. But then there was no more pain, just a calm, flowing melody that washed over her like a river, wiping all her woes away like so many tears.

It was nice, there. So quiet. Just floating along peacefully. Sometimes she heard shouting. And the world around her began to shake. She knew instinctively it was someone who wanted to take her away from this peaceful idyll. She resisted, sucking in a breath to tell them to go away. But her body didn't react the way she wanted them to, struggling to breath as her body seemed to reject the oxygen she so desperately craved, forcing it out of her lungs every time she tried to breath in more.

And then the music came back, calming and soothing. She relaxed again as she no longer struggled to breath, hoping the feeling wouldn't return. She heard voices, sometimes. One sounded unhappy. Scottish and unhappy, and she hoped they were all right. Then another voice, sounding as though they were struggling to remain calm.

"She's... consent... ring... neck! Different... customs... agree." The music stopped, after that, and she could have wept at the loss of such a beautiful melody. But the pain didn't return, and she only felt as though she had slipped from a river to a deeper sleep, more natural and healing.

At least, that's how she recalled it feeling when she woke up, her head cushioned on her pillow in her room as she looked up in surprise, only to find the Doctor sitting in a chair by her bedside, his grin lighting up his eyes when he saw she was awake.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Sleeping Beauty."

* * *

 **A/N: I had a very healthy dinner of nachos while I wrote this chapter... Is anyone jealous? (My friend applauds my nacho-making skills. Maybe I should make that my day job... Food for thought. ;))**

 **Kudos to anyone who manages to find the easter egg in this chapter that I've now referenced in several other chapters... (no worries if you can't find it, it's a veiled reference, but very similar to how it's appeared in the other chapters as well)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to AGBreads, MT, Michael Thomas1, and ZaraSwann for reviewing (Also, we are now at 150 reviews! Thank you all so much!)**

 ** _AGBreads: Yes! This is one of my favorite episodes, I just love the Siren's mystery, and her song. Hope you liked this one!_**

 ** _MT: Thanks! Hope you like it. :)_**

 ** _Michael Thomas1: Should be a bunch of original adventures coming up, actually... they're all kind of connected, so *shrugs* we'll get back to regular episodes soon enough, though, so it should all work out. Thanks! And you keep on being awesome! ;) Hope you liked this chapter!_**

 ** _ZaraSwann: Totally... sometimes I only remember what happened when I go over the script for the episode, and I have to try and remember that Lyssa wouldn't remember everything either, because she's only human! (For now, mwahaha). Yep! Original adventures coming soon. What? Lyssa is the wife of the Doctor? Now where'd you get a crazy idea like that? Surely the woman would have recognized her if she was... I mean, the Doctor's pretty famous, and all that... :D (What makes you think I'm misleading you? Why would I do that?) As for your other idea... a Day of the Doctor wedding would be pretty sweet, but, there's an excellent reason why that won't happen. At least, not in the way you're thinking... (renewal of vows, anyone? No promises). And thanks! :) I always love seeing new readers who enjoy my work, and tell me they enjoy my work. It makes it all worth it. :D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa. (And all the little plot twists/devices that I may or may not have left in this chapter)**


	33. Chapter 33- First Fight and a Bad Flight

"All right, Lyssa, it's time for -"

"Shh!"

"But Lyssa - "

"Shh! I'm in the middle of my chapter!"

"Yeah, and if you don't take your medicine, it'll be the end of your chapter. Because I will take your book away, and stick it on the top of a shelf where you can't reach it until you're better."

Lyssa rolled her eyes and reluctantly put her book down. "Fine. I'll put my book down. But for the record, I want it noted that I protest my height or lack thereof being used against me."

"Your protest has been duly noted," the Doctor said cheerfully, sitting down on the chair beside her bed and placing a tray on top of her bedside table. "But it will be ignored if you don't take your medicine. How are you feeling?"

Lyssa wrinkled her nose, sitting up straighter and leaning against her pillows before pulling the tray onto her lap, eyeing its contents with distaste. Normally, she loved chicken noodle soup, orange juice and strawberries. Not, however, when she had to eat them twice a day for the last three days, because, "It contained all the nutrients her body needed to recover completely."

"I feel a lot more clearheaded than I did yesterday. And a lot more awake - I might take a nap later, but it'll be a short one, not the all-day ones I took before."

"Don't push yourself," the Doctor cautioned as she began to eat. "That's what got you into this mess in the first place."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Like I could help that I ended up on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean, with a 'dodgy mermaid'," she pouted. "Or that I didn't exactly have the chance to rest on said pirate ship."

"You could have told me once you'd landed," the Doctor pointed out. "But, what's done is done, and you're over the worst of it now."

"Tell me again what happened, now that I'm awake enough to fully remember it?" Lyssa asked, halfway done with her soup.

The Doctor sighed. "You have the Time Vortex running through your body. Normally, that would kill anyone who tried that - it killed me, and I only held it for a few seconds. But your body's been changed just enough that you can handle it coursing through you. But that's more like a temporary measure. The time energy still builds up in your body, and if it grows too much, it could kill you. That's why you jump - it's your body's way of getting rid of the excess energy."

He leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair. "Of course, you don't limit yourself to that, because not all my hair's turned gray yet. Basically, even with all the jumping, the energy will still occasionally build up to levels that your body can't handle. When that happens, your body will essentially shut down, and divert all your energy towards handling the time energy, trying to flush it out of your system. It happens every now and again, and usually, you're fine in the end as long as you rest enough." He eyed her sternly as he emphasized the last two words.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, fine, I get it. I'm not leaving this bed until I'm old and gray. Like you, apparently. Carry on."

"Oi. I'm not that old - and I'm only gray because you're trying to age me before my time," he protested playfully, pointing a warning finger at her. "Anyways, the process changes your body enough that you're better able to handle the time levels, but it does leave a little physical change to your body as well."

"What do you mean?" Lyssa asked nervously. "Am I gonna start glowing all the time now? I could get a job as a living night light, I guess."

He rolled his eyes. "No. Now eat your soup." He huffed at the extraordinarily loud slurp that followed. "It usually only manifests itself in subtle ways - your hair might turn a bit lighter, or maybe you'll get a few gold flecks in your eyes. It's too soon to tell for you, especially since it's your first one. You're not going to start glowing in the dark, be able to fly, or anything like that. Sorry. At the moment, you're still basically human plus a little bit of time vortex."

"So, like Ri- uh," Lyssa trailed off awkwardly, remembering exactly where she was in the Doctor's timeline - before Demon's Run - and thus he had no idea of what River was. "Never mind. Ignore me. I'm sick, see?" She hefted her now-empty bowl of soup in the air. "I've got chicken noodle soup. And a blanket."

"Right. Which means now you need to drink your juice and eat your strawberries," he said, not even batting an eye at her strangeness. "Those contain the nutrients you need to help your body recover fully. That's why you've been so sick and tired lately. The stress of Canary Wharf, plus the reset of your entire body after the Pandorica was enough to trigger the start of the process. Now, normally, rest would have been incredibly beneficial, and you probably would have recovered a few days ago. But because of the troubles with the Racnoss, then the Judoon, and now the Siren," he added, barely repressing a grimace. "When the Siren put you to sleep, you stayed asleep."

"Kind of like an induced coma?" Lyssa suggested.

"Eh." He waved a hand in the air. "More like an exhausted sleep. You desperately needed rest, and you weren't getting it. So when you did go into a deep sleep at last, you stayed that way for three days, until your body had recovered enough that you woke up. Believe it or not, though, the Siren actually helped. She had you hooked up to a machine that basically fed you all the nutrients your body had lost. You're almost up to normal, now. Which reminds me."

He dug into his pants pocket and pulled out an orange pill container, making Lyssa stick out her tongue when she saw it. "I know, I know, it tastes like pickles, but you need to take these to help you get back on your feet. In fact," he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned her.

"I think you'll be one hundred percent in a day or two - as long as you stay in bed. No walking about, unless it's to the bathroom, or something close. I mean it, this time. You're almost better, but too much exertion, or something as simple as a cold can reverse all the progress you've made."

Lyssa saluted, setting the tray back on the table. "Sir, yes Sir!" She wrinkled her nose when he handed her the pill, but forced it down with some orange juice. "That was as delicious as it normally was. And by delicious, I mean atrocious. Why does it even taste like pickles? And why do so many of your pills taste like food that people don't like?"

"Spoilers. Now finish up your orange juice before I make Rory come in here and guilt trip you into drinking it."

"See, that's why I like Rory better than you. He doesn't deliberately try and guilt trip me into doing things, it just sort of happens naturally for him. He doesn't have any bad side effects from the water, though, right?"

The Doctor shook his head reassuringly. "Nothing besides being a bit tired. I told you, he didn't even come close to drowning - he was just a bit waterlogged. Turn him on his side, rub his back, and he was good to go as soon as he had a bit of a nap. You telling him to try and secure himself to the ship could have saved his life."

Lyssa eyed him for a minute, calculating. "So, can I ask you something?" she said hesitantly. When he nodded, she continued. "Why do you grimace every time you mention her? At first I thought it was cause you thought she could've killed me and Rory, but then you were doing it on the ship, too, even before you knew what she was - in theory, at least," she added with a teasing smile. It dropped when she saw it fail to be returned on his face - he tried, but it was a weak attempt. "Doctor? What's wrong? Did something happen while I was below decks that made you so afraid? Or, or angry?"

The Doctor's fists clenched around her blankets so tightly she was afraid they'd rip from the sheer force of his grip, and his jaw clenched as he averted his gaze. "No." His tone was hard as ice. "This isn't something I want to talk about."

"Doctor -"

"Drop it. Just... drop it, Lyssa," he ordered, in a tone as harsh as she had ever heard from him. She flinched away, staring at him with wide eyes. His fists spasmed around her blankets once before he sighed, dropping the blankets and burying his face in his hands. "I'm sorry," he apologized at last, his voice muffled by his hands. "That wasn't - I'm sorry."

Lyssa nodded, eyes still wide and frightened, her body tense as she subconsciously leaned further away from him. "I - that's all right," she said timidly, half afraid she would set him off again. It was clearly a sensitive subject for him, though why, she didn't know.

If she recalled correctly, the Siren was someone who was supposed to have been locked up with him and her - as the Oracle - in the Pandorica. It was a logical thought to then assume that the Siren was someone else on the side of good. So why did the thought of them scare the Doctor so much?

"I shouldn't have pushed -"

"No!" The word jerked from him so fast that she flinched away again, and this time, he noticed, regret filling his eyes as he tentatively reached a hand towards her. He softened his stance and his voice, leaving his hand as an invitation on the bed for her to take. "I'm sorry. I didn't - I didn't mean to scare you. That... that was never my intention. I just didn't want you to blame yourself for what I did."

He sighed. "What I did was not all right, and you shouldn't say that it was. I was the one who reacted badly, when you were just trying to find out what was going on. You weren't pushing at all, and I snapped. I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Or, if you prefer, I can leave and send Rory in to look after you until you feel better."

Lyssa didn't answer for a moment, studying him and thinking over his words. His apology was different from any she'd ever received from her mother - for one thing, he meant it. He really was apologetic, and he really did mean it when he said that he was wholly at fault, and that she was not to blame. He'd scared her, yes, and if she was being completely honest, hurt her feelings a bit - something her mother had always criticized her for - but he'd also genuinely apologized.

Her mother had also told her that she was too forgiving, and that was the thought that made her hesitate before voicing her feelings on the matter. Her mother had always been able to nurse a grudge, but she had never been one for holding onto angry feelings. All it did was make her feel icky on the inside.

Plus, her mother wasn't exactly a stellar role model. The Doctor's apology, and even his harsh words, had affected her more than her mother ever had, except for on a few rare occasions when she tried really hard. And there was one clear reason for that that gave her her answer.

"I forgive you."

His head snapped up at her words. "You - you do? Why? I - I know I hurt you. I _scared_ you. Why would you just forgive me, just like that?"

She half smiled. "And do you know why your words hurt me?" She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently as a warmth rushed through her at the point of contact. "It's the same reason I can forgive you so easily. Because you're my best friend, and I care about you, and you care about me. It hurt me, because you're my friend, and I can forgive you, because I'm your friend. Besides, it really was partially my fault. I could tell it was a sensitive subject, and I shouldn't have pushed. So I'm sorry for that. Can you forgive me for my 'indiscretions'?"

He chuckled and rested his head on their joined hands. "We really are a pair. Of course I do."

"Well. That's that, then," Lyssa said, looking far too proud with herself. "I have to say though, are all our fights going to be that lame? Because, I don't know about you, but I consider that to be a pretty lame fight. I'm pretty sure that it didn't even last like, two minutes. How pathetic is that?"

"On the contrary, I'd say that that's pretty good," he countered. "Our first fight was resolved within minutes, and we both acknowledged ourselves to be at fault. That's gotta be better than most relationships go."

"Yeah, but where's all the drama?" Lyssa argued, waving her free hand in the air for dramatic effect. "I mean, neither of us even got the chance to pout! And what about sobbing dramatically on opposite sides of a closed door, or bringing up mistakes that happened months ago and were supposedly forgotten? What about eating chocolate and ice cream while watching movies that make you cry, or throwing yourself onto your bed like a Disney princess and screaming into your pillow?"

The Doctor bit back a smile as he leaned backwards, still holding her hand in his. "Well, for starters, you can't have chocolate or ice cream right now - no dairy until tomorrow, at least. And for another thing, you're already in bed, so I don't know how well throwing yourself on top of it would work. Not to mention the fact that I don't want you getting incredibly worked up right now, and I'm fairly certain that both sobbing and screaming would involve you getting worked up."

"See, that's why that sort of thing will never happen!" Lyssa pouted, starting to cross her arms before realizing that she would have to let go of his hand to do that, and dropping her arms awkwardly on the blanket once more. "You're too nice, and I like you too much to actually want to fight."

The Doctor's mouth twitched. "Well, at least you can pout," he said, indicating her pouty expression. "And I like you too much to want to fight with you, too. There. You see? Problem solved. We can have much more fun when we're not pretending to be angry with each other."

"I guess," Lyssa reluctantly agreed, looking like the admission physically pained her. "If we have to... On one condition."

"And what's that?" the Doctor asked, looking far too amused.

"You have to take me to the library," Lyssa announced, readjusting some of the pillows behind her back in an attempt to get more comfortable. "And before you say anything, I don't plan on walking anywhere - you can carry me, and then I can rest on the couch and read. But if I have to stay relatively immobile for the next two days, then I'm going to make you be my chariot so that I can at least have a change of scenery."

"Sounds fair," the Doctor agreed, still fighting a smile. "Do you want to go now?"

"Nah, I'd rather go when I'm eighty. I should be allowed to walk on my own, then, right?"

"So sarcastic," the Doctor mused, releasing her hands so he could push aside the blankets and scoop her up, grabbing a loose blanket from the top so he could wrap her up in it before halting the process and setting her back down.

"Hold on, fairy-girl." He handed her the glass of orange juice from her table. "Thought you could sneak that by me?" he teased. "You're going to drink all of that before I even consider carting you off to the library again."

"So demanding," Lyssa mocked, swallowing the orange juice. "There, your majesty. I'm done. Can we go now?"

"Your chariot awaits," the Doctor retorted, scooping her up once more and setting off down the hallways. "And I really don't think you have any ground to stand on, demanding me to carry you around everywhere and all that."

He stepped into the library and placed her down gently on one of the couches in front of the fireplace, where a fire was burning brightly. "The TARDIS has done something special for you as well, due to your... extenuating circumstances."

"And what's that?"

The Doctor grinned, crouching by the table at the foot of the couch, spinning it around to reveal a shelf holding several books on it. "She's set it up so that if you're not interested in reading any of the ones currently on the shelf, you can spin it around again, and there will be a whole new set of books for you to try. This way, you don't have to wander the shelves looking for something to read and tire yourself out."

"That's great and all, but what about the book that I was in the middle of reading?" Lyssa asked, raising her eyebrows at him with a smirk. "You know, the one that you interrupted me in?"

"You mean this one right here?" he teased, pulling out the book she had been reading, complete with bookmark, from behind his back. "This one, that has a very strange looking bookmark in the middle of it? Would that happen to be the one that you're talking about?"

"Yeah, that kind of looks like the one," Lyssa agreed, reaching for it but missing when he held it up out of her reach. "Doctor! That's just mean," she pouted, crossing her arms. "It's not fair when you won't let me just actually go after you and get it for myself."

"No, it probably isn't," he agreed. "So, to make it equal to what you suggested earlier, I'll give it to you on one condition. I'm going to check on a few things while you stay here. If you need me, don't hesitate to let me know. But please, tell the old girl to be gentle when she tells me! I still have a bruise from the time she dropped a Doctor-Patient care manual on my head."

He rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully, sending a half-hearted glare up at the ceiling when the ship seemed to groan in amusement. "Oh yeah, you think it's funny now! See how it looks when your new mainspring comes out all jumpled and... frumpy because I'm covered in bruises!" he exclaimed. "I bet you won't think it's so funny then!"

Lyssa snickered, taking the book from his proffered hand. "I'll try and remember," she agreed. "Oh, and if you get the chance, could you send Rory in here later? He promised to play a game of chess if I agreed to distract Amy last night."

"Well, that explains a lot," the Doctor muttered. "Anyways, will do. Will about an hour from now work?"

Lyssa nodded, her book already open in her hands. "Should give me enough time. I've been reading up on chess strategies. It helps me fall asleep, and, hopefully, it'll help me win against him this time." The Doctor grinned, ruffling her hair before leaving amidst a slew of protests and declarations of how mean he was. He found Rory and sent him along soon enough, before getting lost in a pile of different parts that, at one time or another, all belonged to one piece.

When he returned to the library several hours later, he found Lyssa asleep on the couch, her blanket tugged up around her; and Rory and Amy on the couch opposite, Rory asleep in Amy's lap while she flipped through some magazines.

A chess board, set carefully off to one side so as to preserve the placement of the pawns, showed that at least some of Lyssa's reading must have paid off at last, as the black king Rory was so fond of using was laid in defeat on the board.

At least, that was his first conclusion, until Amy informed him that both of them were so slow at making a move that Rory fell asleep while waiting for her to go. Lyssa promptly arranged the pieces so that she appeared to have won, and then fell asleep as well. She didn't wake at all that night, sleeping soundly through the Doctor carrying her back to her room, and only waking up when her stomach growled the next day.

"I told you you needed to rest," the Doctor smirked from his position leaning against her doorframe. "And I saw what you did, by the way. Congratulations. Rory couldn't remember the last move he'd made while waiting for you to go, and probably spent close to half an hour trying to figure out how you'd won before Amy told him. He wants a rematch, by the way. Something about both of you playing by the rules this time."

Lyssa grinned, though it faltered when she noticed her hand beginning to glow and a dizzy feeling in the back of her mind. "Looks like he'll have to wait," she said, waving her hand in the air as proof.

The Doctor frowned before coming to stand by her bed, taking her hand in his. "Lyssa, this is important, all right? When you land, whichever me you land with, you must rest. This is critical. I don't care if you've landed on the moon, and it's actually an egg that's about to hatch. You stay in the TARDIS if at all possible, and do the bare minimum of movement for another twenty-four hours, understood? Otherwise you could have a major relapse, and that... that would be bad."

She nodded, wincing as her dizziness increased, and the glowing began to spread throughout her body. "Find you, tell him I can't go anywhere until the next day. Got it." She looked up at him and smiled wide, a bit of gold in her gaze that wasn't there before catching the light as she did so. "Catch you around, Doctor." He smiled, waving goodbye before vanishing completely as her surroundings changed to a different TARDIS from a different period.

She was in the console room of - judging by the floppy hair she saw sticking out from underneath the console - the Tenth Doctor. He slid out just then, speaking to someone still out of sight. "Should have fixed it up, then. Let's test it out, see where she takes us."

"Right. Sure she's not just sick of your awful driving?" Rose's teasing voice rang out.

"Oi! I resent that remark!" The Doctor pouted as he pulled down the lever and the TARDIS took off, although she did not sound happy about it, groaning and wheezing as she did.

"You resemble it, you mean," Lyssa countered, standing up and drawing their attention to her as she stumbled towards the seats. They landed with an awkward thump, and then she was being smothered in hugs from the two of them. She eagerly returned Rose's hug, remembering all too clearly her last tearful goodbye with the blonde, but forced herself to stay focused on what the Doctor had wanted her to do.

"Hey, guys, I hate to break it to you, but I won't actually be able to go with you on this adventure and get almost eaten by whatever new terror you find," she confessed once she was able to breathe again.

"What? Why not?"

"Is something wrong?" Rose asked in concern.

She smiled. "Well, not really. I'm just getting over something that knocked me flat on my back and made me basically useless for a month, and I'm under strict instructions to tell you this." She turned to the Doctor. "I am not to go anywhere, and to move as little as possible until tomorrow morning at the earliest, or else it could possibly trigger a relapse. Which means I get to spend the day in bed, while you guys are out running around and getting chased by monsters."

"You jealous?" the Doctor teased.

She sighed. "Yeah."

It wasn't until several minutes later, after she had been thoroughly tucked into her bed, offered a glass of orange juice and a pill provided by the TARDIS - oh joy - and was given a small monitor to watch what was going on outside the TARDIS that she realized that she shouldn't be jealous at all. Because the first words that she heard made her realize exactly where they were,

" _Welcome to Hell_ ," Rose read slowly.

Krop Tor.

* * *

 **A/N: Lyssa is conveniently unaware that all of the dramatic effects she listed are primarily things that happen when couples fight... ;D Not that I'm saying it was a couple fight, oh no... don't they have to be a couple first for that to happen? Or something like that...**

 **Also, Spring started a few days ago. Not where I live, apparently... I had to shovel multiple inches of heavy, wet snow this morning before work. And it was not fun. :P (Snow was great back in December, you know, around Christmas. March? Eh, not so much).**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to AGBreads, Guest, Desaraemoon, Britt, mattmurduck, PO-Blue-cookies, and Fakira for reviewing!**

 ** _AGBreads: Good to hear. :D Hope you liked this one... ;)_**

 ** _Guest: Eh, not yet at least... maybe they will in a future chapter. :D He'd be an interesting character to add..._**

 ** _Desaraemoon: Yeah, nachos are good... And thanks! :) Hope you like it._**

 ** _Britt: Another chapter fresh up! Hope you enjoy. :)_**

 ** _mattmurduck: Now, now, don't pick on the Doctor, he's just got selective amnesia, that's all... Great username, by the way. :D_**

 ** _PJO-Blue-cookies: Aww, thanks! That makes me really happy to hear. (Seriously. It does. I started writing, and I just wrote what I wanted to see, for the most part, so it's awesome that you're enjoying it as well) Hopefully you continue to enjoy it! :D_**

 ** _Fakira: No worries, I know how bad school can be at times. :/ And I'm glad to see you enjoyed that. :) Hopefully this chapter resolved most of the questions that might have been raised. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	34. Chapter 34 - New Faces, New Friends

**Trigger warning for brief implied child neglect near the end of this chapter.**

Ten minutes ago, Lyssa thought she was completely sane. Well, mostly, given her predilection for hanging out with a madman with a box. And along with that thought, was the idea that she was completely better.

She no longer felt tired, or foggy, or unable to walk - although the Doctor insisted she remain in bed until tomorrow at least. She had been taking her medicine regularly, and he himself had said she was doing much better. The rest was just to help prevent a relapse.

With all that being said, Lyssa was now wondering if maybe her last dose of medication had just been a bit too high. Because it was either that, or she really was currently floating in the middle of her room.

She marked her place in her journal, which she had just finished updating, before holding her pencil out in the air curiously and dropping it. It floated in the air at roughly the same height as her face, spinning slowly.

She frowned, looking up at the canopy a short distance above her head. "Um... old girl?" she called out. "Is there a reason I'm currently floating in the middle of the air? Or am I just off my rocker? I mean, I know the Doctor said to stay off my feet, but this is just ridiculous." She pinched her arm and yelped, rubbing the now red spot. "Well, I'd say that I'm awake. Or it at least feels like it. But seriously, what's happening? Why am I floating?"

There was no response from the ship. She bit her lip, now feeling a little bit concerned. "Old girl? Are you there?" She meant to drop her journal on the bed, but forgot about that the current lack of gravity applied to the book as well, and immediately had to duck her head out of the way before getting whacked in the eye with the spinning edge of the book. She groaned, flipping over and trying to see what her limitations were in her current situation.

Her hair was spreading out around her in the air, and the pencil and book were still floating. Everything else, curiously enough, was still solidly in place. In fact, they almost seemed to be secured in place, as she saw a bit of gray at the bottom of her pictures and most of the relics on her shelf. In fact, everything breakable seemed to have been secured in one way or another. Later, she would wonder if she was still sick, having been able to miss the obvious so easily. Particularly considering where the TARDIS had landed.

But she'd asked the TARDIS to remove the monitor after the Doctor and Rose left the room, not wanting to see what was going to happen. Then, in an effort to distract herself, she'd buried herself in her journal. Which, in hindsight, was a mistake. Because, as she was horribly reminded a short time later, there was an earthquake on the impossible planet they'd landed on. One that created a hole large enough for the TARDIS to fall through.

Not that she realized that right away, of course. Oh no, she had to float in midair, completely clueless, wondering what was going on. Her first hint that something was wrong was when the TARDIS didn't answer. The second, was when the lights flickered - and not because the TARDIS was talking to her. And her third was when the TARDIS shook violently, sending all her unsecured items flying, although she was safely floating in the air.

She blanched as she suddenly realized what was going on, tensing, and trying to brace as well as one can when they're in the middle of the air. She was in the TARDIS, currently falling to her most likely demise. But the air almost seemed to get heavier around her, holding her in place and keeping her from going anywhere, while at the same time leaving her feeling weightless. She closed her eyes, knowing they were most likely falling down a shaft right now, and braced fruitlessly for impact.

xXx

When the Doctor came charging in an hour or two later, he found her floating calmly in the air, rereading her copy of 'The Princess Bride'. "Lyssa?" he gaped, stopping in the middle of the doorway, clutching onto it for balance as he began to be affected by the lack of gravity.

She flinched, dropping her book and pouting as it began to float away before beaming at him. "Doctor! You're all right! And... not floating? Was it just a malfunction of my room, then? I noticed the TARDIS was acting a bit strange, but she hasn't been talking to me at all."

"No, I don't imagine she would be," the Doctor murmured, still staring at her. "But - you're alive? You're not hurt?"

"Aside from being unable to get down, yeah, I guess," Lyssa shrugged, smiling at him. "I remembered where we were, but I couldn't do anything about it. Then we started floating. At first, I thought it was maybe to protect me from getting pancaked when we fell down the shaft thing, but then nothing else happened, so I thought that maybe it was just a malfunction, because surely I would've noticed us hitting the ground."

She wrinkled her nose as she thought out loud. "So maybe we haven't fallen yet? But then you're here, and that only happens at the end," she rambled before realizing what she was doing and quieting down. "Or am I not floating at all, and just got the wrong dose of medicine, or something?"

He stared at her unblinking before letting out a laugh that sounded more like a sob and collapsing against the door-frame and muttering something to the TARDIS. A moment later, her book, journal, and pencil all clattered to the floor, though she remained in midair.

He strode into the room, placing his arms underneath her before saying, "Release." She let out a shriek as she suddenly fell, her body suddenly affected by gravity again. He caught her, though, before she had fallen far, wrapping his arms around her and curling her into his body, burying his face in her neck.

"Doctor?" She stared worriedly at him when the Time Lord refused to lift his head, keeping her in a hold that was too tight to be comfortable - for her, at least. He'd done this before, after Canary Wharf, when they'd reunited after he thought she'd been killed by the Cybermen - a thought path she quickly refused to travel down, tensing at even the thought of them. "Doctor, what's wrong? What happened?" She raised her hand, awkwardly patting his back in an attempt at comfort.

He shook his head, tightening his hold on her briefly before releasing it to a more comfortable position, then pulling his head back to look down at her, signs of the stress he'd gone through written on his face. "They were - we were..." He sighed. "We landed on a planet orbiting a black hole. There was a ship crew who were stuck there, unable to leave without being pulled into the black hole. While we were there, there was an earthquake. It wiped out the storage container the TARDIS was in."

"And you thought the TARDIS was lost," Lyssa realized, her eyes widening with sympathy. "Your last connection to home."

He shook his head. "You, and the TARDIS," he emphasized. "I've been in the TARDIS without you. Trust me, there is a very large difference. I thought I'd lost both of you. And then, I found the TARDIS at the bottom of the pit, with the Beast." He shivered. "She was all right, but there was no sign of you, and while I know she would have done her best to protect you, I didn't know if you were all right."

"She must have turned off the gravity in this room," Lyssa realized. "So because I was floating in the middle of the room, there was no impact for me. So, I'm all right, Doctor." She grinned suddenly. "And I didn't even move, hardly. I wouldn't even have left my bed, if the TARDIS hadn't turned off the gravity."

"May small mercies never cease," the Doctor muttered, turning and carrying her out of the room.

"Hey! I resent that. I try to listen to your instructions," she protested. "And where are we going?"

"To the console room. I still need to hook up the rocket they tried to escape in. Right now, we're in the Time Vortex, I just took a brief detour to make sure you were all right." He spent the rest of the journey regaling her with what had happened while she was floating, from the mysterious writing on the wall, to the murderous Ood and the deaths of the crewmen while they tried to figure out what was going on. Most of all, he spoke of his fear that he'd be trapped there - and that she had been killed or hurt in the fall, and no one would even know until she jumped again.

"So now Rose is on the rocket?" she asked as they entered the console room. "And probably about to be sucked into the black hole? Why didn't you get her first? And... who's that?" she frowned, staring at an unconscious woman propped up against a pillar.

He shot her a look as he placed her on the chair then turned to the console, activating the rotor. "Because we're still in the Time vortex, for one. We can leave at any time and still be on time to rescue her. Second, you were my first priority. And third, that's Ida Scott. Rescued her from the pit, she passed out from lack of air. Now hold on, we're about to attach a tractor beam, and things might get a little shaky."

Knowing better than to question him when he said it was going to be bumpy, Lyssa buckled herself in as best as she could as the ship suddenly groaned and lurched to one side. "Oi! Don't be all grumpy about it," the Doctor scolded his ship, flipping a lever. "Sorry about the hijack, Captain," he called aloud. "This is the good ship TARDIS. Now, first thing's first, have you got a Rose Tyler on board?"

" _I'm here, it's me_!" Rose's incredulous voice filled the room. " _Oh my gosh! Where are you? Is Lyssa there_?"

"She's here, just enjoying the show," the Doctor grinned, winking at her. "I'm good at those. I'm just towing you home. Gravity-schmavity. My people practically invented black holes. Well, I say practically. They did." He pulled a lever with a flourish. "In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and Captain, can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Rose Tyler, I'll give you Ida Scott? How about that?"

" _She's alive_?" a man's voice came through the comm, sounding incredibly happy about the fact.

"Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right." His voice dropped. "I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet." The console beeped. "Aha! Entering clear space, end of the line, mission closed." He spun a dial, then snapped his fingers. "We're in your hold now, Captain. Mind making a trade? I'll just be leaving Miss Scott down here, you send me Miss Tyler in exchange?"

" _You've got yourself a deal_ ," the captain said happily. " _Rose is on her way_."

"Fantastic," the Doctor grinned, opening the doors before picking up the unconscious woman and carrying her out of the ship. He returned a moment later, leaving the door ajar slightly for Rose. "Better prepare yourself, I think Rose will want to smother you with hugs," he warned her. "We were both worried about you."

He was right, for not a moment later Rose came charging in, hugging first the Doctor, before catching sight of Lyssa and smiling brightly, eyes glistening with tears as she pulled her into a smothering embrace. "We were so worried!" she exclaimed. "Don't ever do that to us again!"

Lyssa chuckled. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises."

"Zach?" the Doctor said into the comms. "We'll be off now. Have a good trip home. And the next time you get curious about something... oh, what's the point? You'll just go blundering in. The human race..."

" _But, Doctor? What did you find down there_?" a woman's voice asked. " _That creature, what was it_?"

The Doctor hesitated before answering. "I don't know! Never did decipher that writing. But that's good! Day I know everything? Might as well stop. Anyways, onwards and upwards, Ida. See you again someday, maybe."

" _I hope so_ ," her voice came back, sounding amused.

"And thanks, boys!" Rose chirped.

" _Hang on though, Doctor_ ," Ida said hesitantly. " _You never really said... you two... And her, the one you were so adamant about getting back to. Who are you_?"

The Doctor grinned, catching Lyssa's eye. "Oh... the stuff of legends." He flipped a lever, watching the rotor begin to rise and fall with a smile on his face as Rose came to stand next to him.

"Doctor? What do you think it was, really?" Rose asked softly.

The Doctor didn't answer for a minute, staring at the console. "I think... we beat it. And that's good enough for me."

"It said I was gonna die in battle," she said timidly. "And Lyssa... it said her hands would be covered in blood. It said she was drowning in blood. And the name it gave her... do you think...?"

"It lied," the Doctor said sharply, clenching his hands into fists as he still avoided eye contact. "There's no way Lyssa could be her. It just wanted to feed off of our fear, because that's what creatures like him do. They create fear, they thrive off of it. It was a lie."

Rose considered him for a minute before nodding in acceptance.

xXx

To make up for the stress of the day, the Doctor took them to a spa planet that was guaranteed to relax them once Lyssa's twenty-four hours were up. He also promised them that one day, he'd take them to a planet that was made of pure diamond, and had an excellent spa. Lyssa wasted no time in assuring him that she was more than happy with their current spa.

The next day, he'd checked her out in the Infirmary and declared her to be fully healed. She could walk, run, jump, and move around with her only restrictions being when her body told her to stop.

And unfortunately, after several weeks of just laying around and rarely moving, that limit was a lot shorter than she would have liked it to be. So she spent the next week trying to work her way back up to her normal strength before jumping at the end of a workout, before she even had time to shower.

She appeared in the middle of a hallway, wrinkling her nose at the feeling of sweat trickling down her face - and almost everywhere else on her body. Forget about any alien invasions that may or may not be about to happen, the first thing that she needed was a shower.

She looked up at the sound of running footsteps, and caught sight of a golden blur before she was almost bowled over as someone swept her up into a tight hug, squealing her name happily. The next moment, they released her, bounding backwards.

"You're all sweaty, Lyssa, were you running? Or did you just shower? Because if you did, I think you need to do it again. You're all greasy. But it's nice to see you again, even if you do smell all sweaty."

The words seemed rather rude, but as she took the chance to actually look at the new person, it seemed to become clear that no real offense was meant. Standing before her was a giggly young woman, perhaps her age, with curly blonde hair flying everywhere, and clothed in a bright pink dress. Her blue eyes were wide and innocent, and she was bouncing on her toes as she waited for Lyssa to speak. Still, she was someone new on the TARDIS, so Lyssa was a bit cautious with her answer.

"I just finished exercising. I was about to shower when I jumped, and ended up here. Uh, where exactly is here, by the way?"

The woman shook her head at her and laughed. "You're on the TARDIS, silly! Where else would you be? Oh, wait. I bet you want to speak to the Doctor, don't you?" Without waiting for an answer, she threw back her head and yelled, "Doctor! Lyssa's here!"

Placing her hand over her mouth, she turned back to Lyssa and giggled. "He always gets grumpy when I do that, but he's not so grumpy when you're here. I think he likes you," she whispered, as if it were some great secret.

Lyssa forced a smile, trying not to let her confusion show on her face. Hopefully the girl was right, and the Doctor would be here soon - with some answers. They waited for another two minutes before she saw the Twelfth Doctor come into view, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

"Bria, I've told you this before, inside voices, remember? Unless it's an emergency, you don't need to shout for me. Just come find me, the TARDIS will lead you... to... me..." he trailed off as he caught sight of Lyssa.

"I found Lyssa," Bria said proudly, like a small child might when they found something hidden. "And you're always excited to see Lyssa. Remember? Because she's your Anam Car -"

"Yes, yes, I remember, but Lyssa doesn't," the Doctor interrupted hastily. "She's too early to know, and that's a big spoiler. We can't give away secrets, remember?"

"Oh, yeah! I remember. Spoilers! Shh." Bria giggled, putting her finger in front of her mouth. "I have secrets, too."

"Anyways, hello, Lyssa! How've you been?" the Doctor asked, smiling at her. "Or, perhaps, when've you been?"

She grinned. "I've just been running. Trying to build up my strength again after being sick for almost a month. Somewhere around there. Time gets a little loopy when you're bedridden in a magic box that passes the time differently. If you wanted to be a bit more specific, I've been with Ten. Shortly after Krop Tor."

The Doctor grimaced. "Oh. Yes. That was not a pleasant experience." Suddenly his eyes narrowed, pinning her to the spot. "But you were sick, for the first time, and with the necklace, that means you came from the ship with the grumpy captain and the Si -" he hesitated, glancing sidelong at Bria, who was humming a little song to herself before changing what he was about to say. "Singing mermaid, which means Canary Wharf happened just over a month ago for you. Are you all right?"

Lyssa laughed awkwardly, eyes sliding away as she subconsciously wiped her hands on her pants, trying not to think about the blood on them. She'd heard what Rose had said to the Doctor, about what the Beast had said about her, although she'd pretended she hadn't when they both glanced at her. She needed to at least pretend she was getting better. Maybe that was part of the healing process. After all, if you believe something enough, that makes it true, right?

"Fine, yeah. Still a little tense in dark metal hallways, and I don't think I'll ever be unsuspicious around robots again, but, overall, I'm good."

He nodded thoughtfully before turning to the blonde. "Bria, why don't you go and get ready? I need to talk to Lyssa."

"All right," Bria giggled. "But Lyssa might want to wash up, too. She smells sweaty."

The Doctor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as Bria ran down the hallway. "We talked about this," he called after her. "You can't just blurt out whatever you're thinking!" He sighed and turned back to Lyssa. "Sorry about that. She's not actually trying to be rude. She just doesn't understand that what she's saying can come across as rude or hurtful, sometimes."

Lyssa nodded. "I kind of got that vibe from her. But uh... why exactly is she here? Who is she? Is she a friend? Your secret daughter? A companion along with Clara and uh, what was his name... the hobo dude... Ranger! That was it! Are they still here?" she asked, peering around the Doctor as if they might suddenly appear behind him.

He stiffened slightly, his eyes closing as if in pain before he shook his head. "They're... gone," he said hoarsely. "I lost them both."

Lyssa gasped. "No! Oh, Doctor, I'm so sorry..." She held out a hand out to him, as if to offer some form of comfort, but then drew back, remembering that this regeneration was not so fond of touch as Ten and Eleven seemed to be. "I don't..."

She shook her head, at a loss for words. She had only met Clara and the Ranger once, but she knew that the Doctor and Clara were best friends in the show, and he seemed to care a great deal about the Ranger as well. "I'm so sorry."

He tried to smile but failed, shaking his head before pulling her into a hug. She froze for a minute, not expecting it, before returning it. "It's been so long since it happened, but it still hurts," he whispered. "I didn't want to lose them, I thought I could protect them, and instead... I had to watch them as they..."

Lyssa closed her eyes at the pain in his voice, wishing she could take it away. "I'm so sorry, Doctor" she repeated softly. "I'm so sorry."

"I... I won't say that it's all right. Because it isn't. It still hurts, and I know you can tell it does," he sighed. "But I had you - still have you. And I met Bria a short time later, and she's helped me as well. I had to help her, and I suppose, we both just sort of, I don't know..." He pulled away from her and shrugged. "Helped each other, I guess."

"You had to help her?" Lyssa asked, sensing he wanted to change the subject. "Was she in trouble?"

"Of a sort," he replied, his eyes distant and dark. "I was in the area when she was around. We struck up a conversation, and I thought she seemed nice enough. A short time later, I heard a call for help, and it turned out to be her. I saved her from the monsters in her house, and then later wished I'd let them burn it to the ground after all." He clenched his fist, looking her in the eye.

"She had been living in a filthy house, with barely enough food and water to survive left for her by her 'guardian'. And I use the term very loosely. She didn't know who her parents were, just that she had been left there for long periods of time alone by the person who was in charge of her survival. He 'raised her' in the belief that no one wanted her, or cared about her. And he left her so emotionally stunted that mentally, she's little more than a child."

"That's why she acted the way she did," Lyssa muttered in comprehension. "Was she - all right?"

"I did a scan on her when I brought her aboard," the Doctor assured her. "Aside from a little malnutrition, which was easily treated, she was a healthy young woman around your age. Physically, at least. Like I said, she essentially has the emotional mindset of a child. She's innocent, naive, and says what she thinks, when she thinks it. And then, sometimes, she has a maturity that I wouldn't expect in a woman twice her age."

He sighed. "I guess, at the time, I just wanted someone to distract me from my own pain. Instead, I found someone who taught me that looking at the universe with the innocence of a child reveals a beauty that can be easy to miss when you're just looking for pain."

Lyssa was silent for a minute. "I already like her," she announced at last.

The Doctor cracked a smile. "That's what you said then, too," he informed her. "So, we brought her on board, and she's been with me ever since. I've tried to teach her what her 'guardian' failed at, and she's taught me that nothing in life is ever so bad that you can't still find light in the darkness. Which brings me to today.

"We landed on Easter Sunday, and she wanted to go to an Easter church service that rang bells to accompany their songs. So we're now in the middle of a small town in the Southern United States, in the middle of the 23rd century, that has the only church that rings bells for all their songs. And after that, I've promised to take her to help hide the eggs for an Easter Egg hunt."

Lyssa grinned. "That was nice of you," she pointed out. "But if I'm going to tag along, I should probably go shower, as Bria so kindly pointed out. That's a pretty name, by the way. What does it mean?"

The Doctor frowned. "It means vigor, or liveliness, which I found fitting. I also chose it because it sounds similar to the word 'breeze,' and she was now free, like the wind."

"Wait. You chose her name for her?" Lyssa asked incredulously, not quite sure she was following.

The Doctor didn't meet her eyes. "Yes. When I found her, she didn't even have a name. She was just called by a single letter. 'B'. Just another in a long line of efforts of her guardian to dehumanize her. When I asked her to come with me, she agreed, on the condition that I gave her a new name that would represent her new freedom as a real, live human. Her words, not mine."

Lyssa's jaw tensed, but she said nothing as she strode to the door that would lead down to her room. Stopping there, she placed her hand on the door frame. "I know you're not a fan of violence," she said quietly. "I'm usually not, either. But I really want to punch something right now. And if it turned out to be her "guardian" at the end of my fist, I wouldn't really complain."

She couldn't be positive, but she thought she heard a mumbled agreement as she left the hallway. But she couldn't get too far in her plans of revenge, as her mind was soon swept up by various other things.

After a quick shower, she'd changed into a spring dress for the church service - where Bria spent the entire time swinging her feet back and forth beneath the pew - before switching to something more suitable for running outside. Which turned out to be a good thing, as the Doctor took them to a planet made completely out of chocolate, before handing them several large bags of eggs and telling them they had half an hour to hide them before the children were set loose.

They were both full, and smelled strongly of chocolate when they managed to stagger back to the TARDIS several hours later. The next day, per Lyssa's request to try an escape room, they traveled back to early 21st century America. There, the Doctor led them to a fairgrounds, where an escape room had been set up, a bored-looking employee sitting up front.

"Welcome to the mystery escape room. Four at a time," he said in a nasally voice, gesturing over to the entrance to a large, black building, where a man in his thirties, with brown hair and casual clothes, was waiting patiently. "The rules of the game will be explained when you get inside." He glanced down at a screen in front of him. "You're in luck, they just finished cleaning up after the last group. Tickets are twenty seven dollars a person."

The Doctor nodded, holding up his psychic paper - something that made Bria giggle - until the employee looked up and gestured them over to the other customer. They seemed to have good timing, as Lyssa could see people lining up behind them, and in front of them, the door to the building had just opened.

They followed the man - who introduced himself as Scott before they returned the favor - into the room, where all the walls were pitch black. As soon as the door shut behind them, it disappeared into the wall, and a small screen appeared on the opposite wall, a man in a purple suit with a cruel smirk on his face.

" _Hello, everyone_ ," he crooned in an Irish accent, his eyes flitting across all of them before focusing on the Doctor. " _Did you miss me?_ "

* * *

 **A/N: May you all have a blessed Easter, filled with lots of happiness, and whatever food brings you the most joy! :)**

 **I am currently stuffed to the brim with cold medications and cough drops, so I apologize if any of this seems more wacky than usual - my only hope is that this cold disappears as fast as it came on, before it takes any more of my sanity. I need all that I can get. :P**

 **Also, there are quite a few Easter Eggs in here - just in time for Easter, too... ;) Let me know if you can figure any out... (Hint: Most of them are in the last part of the chapter)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to V, Randomness, Fakira, and Guest for reviewing!**

 ** _V: Hahaha, thanks! More fluff to come... Eventually. (Might be a wee bit of angst for the next few chapters... *checks what I have planned* Or a lot) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _Randomness (Or is it shadowcaster0? I'm not sure, as it was signed at the bottom and top, so sorry if I get the wrong one!) : That was definitely an issue that I had to deal with, so thank you so much for reminding me that I needed to go back and edit that! I started doing it correctly later on, but forgot about editing the earlier chapters. And when I did, I completely forgot that I needed to republish them - that they wouldn't just be published once I saved them. So, thanks for the reminder! It definitely helped me get in gear, and I hope that it's all fixed now. Thanks for your review! :)_**

 ** _Fakira: Thanks! Sometimes, We just need a bit of adorableness. And the Doctor is very protective over Lyssa - for good reason, unfortunately (more on that later). And I'm glad that you like the fluff - I planned on there being a great deal of it when I started this story. :D (And nice rhyme at the end, there, too!) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Guest: Yeah, pretty much. The TARDIS is definitely the best place to be. And thanks for the kind words, it really does mean a lot to me when people take the time to review, especially when you say such awesome things like that. *cries happily* Thanks for your review!_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa - and Bria.**


	35. Chapter 35 - Escape the Room

**Trigger warning for mentions of blood**

There was an immediate response from all the occupants of the room. Scott furrowed his brow in confusion and stared at the screen, Lyssa felt her jaw drop - this was impossible, he couldn't exist here - the Doctor's entire body tensed, as though ready for a fight, and Bria... The blonde woman gasped and immediately ducked behind Lyssa, putting her hands over her mouth in an attempt not to say a word.

The man on the screen pouted. " _What a reaction. I'm disappointed,_ " he drawled in a soft voice, fixing the lapels on his purple suit as if to comfort himself. " _And here I was, thinking you'd be glad to see me._ " His gaze locked on Lyssa's and a smile crept onto his face. " _Although, I'm definitely glad to see you here,_ " he practically purred. " _I've been looking for you, Alyssa._ "

The Doctor bristled and stepped in front of Lyssa, his eyes narrowing at the man on the screen. "What do you want, Master?" he demanded.

Lyssa sucked in a breath. "That's the Master?" she repeated, peering around him disbelievingly to peer at the man on the screen. "I thought that was - but... I thought he was dead."

" _Dead?_ " The... Master... stared at her for a moment before throwing back his head and laughing. " _Oh, I'm not dead. In fact, I'm quite disappointed that you ever thought I could be dead. I'm quite adept at staying alive,_ " he mocked, emphasizing the last two words. " _A little bit of damage here and there was never enough to keep me down_." He sobered suddenly, smirking as his eyes moved behind Lyssa. " _Is that B I see back there, hiding behind others like the coward she is? Come on out and show me your face._ "

There was a quiet gasp and a flinch before Bria moved out from behind Lyssa. "Bria, no!" Lyssa hissed, trying to hide the other girl behind her. "Don't listen to him."

"I have to," Bria whispered back apologetically, hanging her head as she stumbled out to stand in front of the screen, wrapping her arms around her stomach defensively.

" _My, my, did B finally grow a little bit of a backbone? You even have a name and everything,_ " the Master chuckled, his Irish accent growing a bit stronger. " _Do you feel more like a human now? Because you aren't,_ " he sneered. " _You're just a means to an end. The only reason I left you there was so that I could see what their responses would be when I take you away. The more pain the better, in my opinion. Especially considering what Alyssa is. What she deserves._ "

"It's Lyssa, you pig-headed moron," Lyssa finally snapped, snatching Bria's arm and pulling her behind her, glaring at the man on the screen. "Or in your case, Miss Devons. And anyone with even a two-digit IQ can tell that _Bria_ ," she emphasized the name, "is a person - unique, special, and far more likable than you could ever hope to be. So why don't you just shut up and tell us what you want."

The Master, who had been glaring at her for the duration of her speech, suddenly smirked. " _What I want?_ " he repeated softly, madness growing in his eyes. " _What I want, is to see you lying dead at my feet, blood coating the sacrificial blade as I help free him from his prison, recreating time and the universe the way it was meant to be._ " He turned to the Doctor. " _The time is coming, Doctor. It's so very close now, just a little bit longer,_ " he said dreamily. " _And you'll be right there to see it happen._ "

His face drawn tight in rage, the Doctor opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a nervous voice. "Um, excuse me, but can I ask what's going on here? I don't want to interrupt, but this doesn't seem like the way it usually goes." They all turned to look at Scott, who was standing there sheepishly. "Sorry, it just... is this part of the game? Are you all actors, or something, or is this a special level? Because I only paid for the normal one."

The Master regarded him for a minute with raised eyebrows before smiling in a way that only made Lyssa shudder, particularly considering who he looked like. Behind her, she felt Bria take her hand, squeezing it tightly. " _This is indeed a special level. But don't worry. All the special effects are already paid for. And they say blood money is outdated,_ " he mused to himself in amusement before raising his voice once more.

" _So, Doctor. The rules of the game are simple. Escape the room, don't die. Easy as that, right? Bo-ring,_ " he sang, flicking his hand in the air in disgust. " _So I decided to change it up a little. Make it a little creepier, a little more difficult to figure out, a little more deadly. You know, the usual._ "

"So what's the catch?" the Doctor asked, glaring at the screen. "I'm assuming that someone's life is at risk, otherwise you know we wouldn't play your games."

The Master grinned. " _Oh, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor,_ " he shook his head in mock disappointment. " _Of course there are. Yours._ " He leaned forward, his eyes flitting between each of theirs. " _The game's already started, Doctor. The countdown has begun. Survive until dawn, if you can. That's when the doors open. Escape the room, so to speak. Oh, and try and keep quiet. They may not be alive, but they can still hear you._ " He smirked before the screen suddenly went black, leaving them alone in the darkness.

The Doctor immediately pulled out his sonic screwdriver and turned it on, illuminating the room in a pale blue light. They were in the entryway to a hallway, with cartoon stickers and party themed designs all over the walls. There was a wood paneled floor, and various open doorways scattered along the hallway, hints of tables and chairs scattered inside.

"What is this place supposed to be?" Bria muttered, clutching Lyssa's hand for dear life, and jumping as the Doctor tried a light-switch along one wall, only to have it flicker for a moment before sparks erupted, and it went out once more.

"I think I know," Lyssa breathed, staring at a familiar face plastered on the wall as the Doctor moved his sonic around to examine the area, evidently having given up on trying the lights.

He swung around to face her, the worry evident on his face. "Where are we? The nearest I can figure out is that this is supposed to be some sort of children's restaurant." He waved a hand at a picture of a large cartoon mouse along the wall.

She nodded, eyes darting around the room, seeking vainly for some other source of light. "It is. It's called Chuck-E-Cheese's. It's where kids can go to parties and stuff. There's games, and animatronics, and pizza, and all sorts of stuff. I think I got to go once as a kid, for someone's birthday party. All I remember was that the pizza tasted great, and Chuck-E-Cheese scared me."

"He's a creepy mouse when you're a little kid," Scott agreed, keeping his voice low. "I have to say, if this 'Master' guy is going for a creepy atmosphere, he's going about it the right way. What's really going on, anyways? Like, was that whole 'blood sacrifice' thing real? Or is this all part of the game?"

"I'm afraid it's all too real," the Doctor pronounced gravely, aiming his sonic at the hallway and peering down it. "He used to be a friend of mine - like a brother, in fact. Then... for lack of a better word, he went insane. He's lost all of his morals, and is determined to drag me down with him. He's killed hundreds of people, and if we don't stop him this time, I'm afraid he'll do it again. Starting with us."

"Wha- hundreds?" Scott repeated incredulously. "How has nobody noticed? Why haven't we heard of him before now?"

"You have," the Doctor said grimly. "Saxon, the British Prime Minister in 2007, was him under an assumed name. He used the opportunity to take hundreds of lives before being found out. And that was only one of his many attempts. He's truly a madman, with chaos and disorder being his only delights."

"The Prime Minister? But - he looked nothing like this man!" Scott protested, eyes darting around the room warily. "And I thought he was dead!"

"Yes, so did I," the Doctor agreed. "But if you could shut up now, that would be much appreciated. He said we need to avoid 'them', that they could hear us. Who's 'them'?"

"I think we're supposed to keep looking and find out," Lyssa whispered. "That's how we're supposed to escape, right? Find the exit? My guess is they'll show up somewhere along the way. Then we'll have to keep quiet so they don't hear us. Something like that?"

"We need more light though," the Doctor hissed. "We're supposed to be quiet, and my sonic is, well, sonic!" He indicated the buzzing tool. "We can hardly escape if we either can't see, or are making enough noise to be found out."

Bria sniffed and crept a little closer to Lyssa. "I don't like the dark," she whimpered. "Bad things come in the dark."

Lyssa wrapped an arm around the girl comfortingly. She may have only just met her, but she already liked the innocent, sweet girl - who'd apparently grown up under the care of the Master? No wonder she had troubles. "It's all right," she whispered. "Some good things come in the dark, too. Like Santa Claus, you know. He only comes at night. Or the Easter Bunny. And some of the prettiest flowers only bloom at night. So darkness isn't all bad. And besides, we've got the Doctor, don't we? He'll help us get out of here."

"That I will," he agreed, stepping forward slowly into the hallway, gaze flickering every which way for a sign of danger. "But that means we'll need to keep moving, Bria. We can't stay here, I'm sorry." His voice was soft and apologetic as he glanced back at her. "But I promise I will do everything in my power to get you out of here."

Bria nodded. "I trust you," she sighed. "But I still don't like the dark."

A smile twitched the Doctor's lips. "I'm not overly fond of it myself," he admitted. "Now come on. Let's see what's waiting for us."

Gathering their courage, the small group set off down the hallway, straining their ears for any sign that something might be following them. The first room they stopped in seemed to be a security room, as there was a row of monitors set up on the wall, displaying various places in the building. There was the entryway, a few hallways, outside the bathrooms, the kitchen, the stage, where several animatronics stood motionless, and the exit, presumably at the other side of the building.

"There!" Scott whisper-shouted, pointing at the last one. "That's the exit!"

"But how do we get there?" Bria questioned, running a hand through her curls. "There's no map anywhere on here."

A loud ringing noise pierced the silence, making them all jump - and the two girls shriek before they remembered the need for quiet. Swinging his sonic around the room, the light illuminated a small phone on a desk opposite the cameras. Striding over, the Doctor quickly answered the phone, switching it to speaker so that they could all hear.

"Hello?" he asked cautiously.

" _Hello, hello, Doctor,_ " the Master purred. " _It's nice to see you've finally started to move. You see, it occurred to me that I forgot to tell you a few things. A few things that might be beneficial to your survival._ "

"Like what?" the Doctor growled.

" _Like your need for lights,_ " the Master pointed out calmly. " _I'm sure by now you've noticed that none of the lights in the building are on. That's for your protection. Turning the lights on would only attract their attention to you right away, and I'd rather you didn't all die in the first hour. That's so boring. So, to help you last a little longer, I've included some flashlights. Portable, subtle, and easy to turn off. All in the drawer under the desk._ "

The Doctor immediately pried open the drawer and pulled out four flashlights. He scanned them all before tossing them to the others, turning on his. "They're safe, but let's only use one at a time for now. We don't know how long they might last. At least they're quiet."

" _Ah, yes, that brings me to my second point,_ " the Master said thoughtfully. "Y _ou'll need to be very quiet. And if they spot you, try not to move. They can't see very well, and if you're quiet for long enough, they'll grow bored and move on. But if you move too soon..._ " He chuckled darkly. " _Game over._ "

"Who's this 'they' you keep speaking of?" the Doctor pointed out, eyes flickering over to the cameras to see if anything new had appeared. So far, nothing had. But there was something different. Something Lyssa spotted, making her heart sink.

"Doctor..." she trailed off, her heart stuck in her throat. When he looked over at her, she gestured to the cameras. More specifically, to one in particular. The stage camera. The four animatronics were still on the stage, but one small thing had changed. The head of Chuck-E-Cheese had turned to face the camera.

"The animatronics," the Doctor realized, darting up to the screen and examining it intently. "You've turned the animatronics into weapons!"

The Master hummed in disagreement. " _Maybe yes and maybe no. Let's just say that a few robots working for the Justice Department - you remember the Teselecta, right? - happened to gain a vague form of sentience, so to speak. Or maybe they had someone fiddle with their programming until they had functioning AIs. Whether or not it was through my help is a moot point. They were unable to do much on their own, however, so I agreed to help them. They need blood, and I get what I want. It's a win-win for both of us._ "

"Why, why do they need blood?" Scott asked timidly.

The Master scoffed. " _Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Blood oils social progress'? They're the future, and they need blood to oil themselves so they can keep working. Or something like that, I stopped listening after I found out they wanted blood. If I'm right, and I always am, one of their processors miiiiight have gotten a wee bit corrupted, and it miiiiiiight have been my fault._ " He giggled maniacally. " _Whoops! It's a nifty process, really. It all started when they tried to shrink someone, but it didn't work._

" _The poor soul ended up trapped inside a metal suit. And, well, I'm sure you can imagine what happens when someone's trapped inside a metal suit full of springs and coils that's far too small for them. I certainly can,_ " he mused. " _But it doesn't kill them right away... so if someone gets caught, you do have a little bit of time to look for them, maybe even rescue them. Getting blood on your hands doesn't bother you, does it, Alyssa?_ "

Lyssa blanched, releasing Bria's hand and wiping her sweaty hands off on her pants, trying not to imagine the liquid being a dark red, trying to forget the screams as dozens of people were trapped inside metal suits. She dug her nails into her palms as the Master continued his gruesome tale of how he would supposedly lure people into a trap every few weeks so that the animatronics could get their need of blood, hoping the pain would help her focus.

" _I thought about using Cybermen at first,_ " the Master was saying. " _I know how fond Alyssa is of Cybermen, and what better way of having fun than to traumatize her all over again, but Missy insisted on using them for her plan a year or two ago, and you defeated them then, so where's the fun in bringing them out this time around? They're still metal robots, though, even if they don't look it._

" _The only downside is that they're not overly fond of light, something about the process affecting their systems. Oh, and would you look at that... seems like they've heard something. Possibly me talking to you. Oops!_ " His voice took a dark turn. " _Better get moving, Doctor. The clock is ticking!_ " A loud dial tone filled the room.

"Right then!" the Doctor said sharply, hanging up the phone. "First things first, we need to get out of here. We've made far too much noise for them not to have heard us. We need to move slow and cautiously, and try and navigate our way out of here. Just remember, whatever he's done to their systems has made it easy for us to hide from them as long as we don't move."

"This is insane!" Scott hissed quietly as he moved towards the door, peeking out. "There's no one out there. And my phone died right before I got here, otherwise I would have called someone by now. Looks like we're on our own, unless one of you has one."

They all shook their heads. "I never got around to getting another one after my old one was lost," Lyssa explained.

"And who would I call?" Bria whispered. "I see the Doctor and Lyssa every day."

"Shh!" the Doctor hissed. "One of the animatronics is gone!" He waved a hand wildly at the cameras, where one of the animatronics - the duck - was indeed missing. "I think she's by the bathrooms. We need to leave, now. Just remember: slow, and steady." He peered around the doorway before creeping out, crouching low to the ground instinctively and gesturing for them to follow him.

Lyssa followed after him, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest. The Doctor turned off his flashlight when they reached the next room, holding his hand up in the air, and they all froze behind him, pressing themselves against the wall. There was dim lighting in the room from an unknown source, just enough for her to be able to make out the shape of the Doctor in front of her. They stood there silently for several minutes, no one moving.

She felt more than sensed Scott opening his mouth to say something - perhaps he still didn't grasp the seriousness of the situation - but the Doctor jerked his hand at him, cutting him off, before freezing again rapidly.

Her heart skipped a beat when, a moment later, a tall shape appeared in the doorway, only a slight complaint of the floors beneath its feet enough to show it had moved at all. It seemed to be the duck from earlier, only with a few changes from the way it had looked when she was a young girl.

It looked far creepier now for one, with its blue eyes glowing in the dark and the sharp teeth visible in its opened beak. It stared at them for what felt like forever, slowly tilting its head to the side in a far too human-like gesture as it studied them, before slowly raising its head back to the normal position, still staring.

It opened its mouth, revealing more rows of teeth, before it hissed out a word. "Feed. Must feed," it mumbled, its voice glitching between vaguely human and robotic. It reached out an arm to one side, scraping a feathered finger against the wall and leaving a long scratch mark in its place. Lyssa fought not to wince, sure that the creature would see her movement.

As it turns out, she needn't have bothered. The creature/robot/thing moved past her, continuing to scrape its hand along the wall. It was almost past them when it stopped, tilting its head to the side once more.

"Feed," it hissed again, this time scraping all of its fingers against the wall. It waited for what seemed like forever before slowly continuing on down the hallway, its metal feet clacking against the floor. Lyssa closed her eyes, breathing a silent prayer of thanks. They were almost safe. Just a little bit further...

And an inhuman scream echoed through the building, growing closer to their location.

It didn't last long, but it was enough.

Already tense from the meeting with the Master, and nerves wound tight from the situation, Bria was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Unable to stop herself, she let out a small shriek and flinched back into the wall, hunching her shoulders around her head in an involuntary attempt to protect herself.

But it was too late.

Another inhuman screech echoed through the building as the animatronic turned and lunged at her. She barely had time to scream before she disappeared in a flash of red light. Lyssa gasped and jerked, but cut herself off abruptly as the animatronic turned towards the rest of them, all staring at it in horror. It trudged over to them, tilting its head to the side menacingly.

"Feed," it hissed menacingly, standing over her. She tried desperately to remain still, her outstretched hand hovering in the air as she fought to hold it steady. She was biting her lip so hard it bled, but forced herself to hold it together. She had to. For Bria. She would stay calm until they were free, and then she would find a way to bring back the childlike girl, or avenge her. Or both. She could do it. She was holding it together.

At least, she was until a small drop of a red liquid dropped out from its beak and landed on her outstretched palm, followed swiftly by another as the icy liquid spread out into the lines of her palm.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared unblinkingly at the animatronic, her eyes welling up with unshed tears as it stared menacingly back at her. The Doctor and Scott stood motionless on either side of her, both of their postures tense. At this point in time, she was sure that her body was still more because she was frozen in terror than because it was the sane thing to do.

And then the animatronic leaned in towards her, its beak opening as the rows of teeth, now slightly bloodied, displayed themselves before her. In the back of her mind, with the tiny, tiny part that was still functioning, she noticed something odd and filed it away. But the rest of her - the part of her that was in control - could only focus on what was sure to be her demise, a mere month after she almost died the same way from the Cybermen.

She drew in one, last, shuddering breath before closing her eyes as a tear trickled out from underneath her eyelid and down her cheek. There was an earsplitting screech, right next to her ear. And then there was nothing.

She didn't know how long it was before she came to her senses, but when she did, she was sitting on someone's lap, buried in their chest with their arms wrapped securely around her. She was curled in on herself, with her hands wrapped tight around her ears, but someone seemed to be trying to change that as they gently tugged on her hands. They managed to tug one of them away, and her head fell against their chest. She momentarily panicked until she recognized the familiar sound of a double heartbeat echoing through their suit.

She sagged in relief against the Doctor's chest, letting the soothing rhythm calm her as she felt him scrub her hands with a handkerchief. A motion that was strangely familiar to her, but she couldn't quite think of why, yet.

And then she could.

She fought back the urge to vomit as her memories came rushing back, placing her free hand over her mouth. The Doctor was cleaning blood off her hands. Again. And this time, it wasn't just the blood of some innocent person that she never saw. It belonged to Bria - a girl she already liked, and could have eventually become friends with. Someone she just saw die, right in front of her.

The Doctor finished his ministrations to her hand and turned his attention to her, pushing her hair back from her face and cupping her cheek in his hand. None of their flashlights were on, and the only lighting they had was dim, but she could see the worry clear on his face.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he placed his hand over her mouth, shaking his head and mouthing the word 'no'. Dropping his hand once he was sure she understood, he glanced around them and made sure the area was clear - they'd apparently migrated further down the hallway, or to another room - before bending his head next to her ear.

"The animatronic disappeared after it screeched, and you collapsed," he breathed in a barely audible voice. "We moved down the hallway as fast as we dared in case the noise was to draw the others over. It's been sixteen minutes and thirty-four seconds, and there's been no sign of them so far, but I believe it's just the calm in between storms. They'll be after us again soon, and we have to keep moving. Do you think you can walk?"

Out of habit, she started to bite on her lip, only to flinch when it stung and she tasted blood. Shuddering, she tried to put it out of her mind, swiping at her lip roughly to clear it away and ignoring the pain. Taking a mental stock of her strength, she nodded faintly.

Forcing herself to move, she crawled out of his arms, flushing at the subconscious desire to stay where it felt safe before using the wall to help herself up. He got up a moment after, adjusting his waistcoat, and sticking something in his pocket. She blanched when she realized it was the bloody handkerchief, but forced herself to look away.

Scott was there on the other side of the Doctor, hovering awkwardly, and he looked pale even in the dim lighting, his hands forced into his pockets as his expression wavered between a forced calm and panic. She guessed that the reality of the situation must have finally sunk in, and he was struggling to come to terms with that. The Doctor himself didn't look much better, the pain and anger clear on his face as he faced the heartbreaking reality of losing yet another companion.

He didn't say anything though, and once he made sure she was all right, he took her hand in his and led the way down the hallway, using only the light provided by the building to guide his way. He stopped outside every doorway, listening carefully before gesturing them forward. They traveled in this way for a little over two hours, according to the Doctor, but they never seemed to get any closer to the exit.

They had to stop three times during their journey, twice outside a room until the Doctor deemed it safe, and once in the middle of the hallway as someone - something - clattered in a room down the hall before coming out into the hallway. They all stood frozen where they were, hardly daring to breathe as something that looked like a purple monster with a yellow belly slowly strolled past them, its blue eyes glowing faintly in the dark. It didn't seem to see them, though, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when five minutes had passed without any further sign of the creature.

Their luck didn't last, though.

How could it?

It was somewhere around hour three when it happened. They'd stopped outside another door, when the Doctor held up his hand again, indicating he'd either sensed or heard something off in the room. It'd been a tense five minutes while he waited before he stepped quickly across the gap, holding up his hand to keep them from following. There'd been no response three minutes later, so he gestured for Lyssa to do the same. Her heart pounding, she'd practically leapt across the doorway, the Doctor catching her and burying her in his arms. Then, he'd turned to listen again, so he could give Scott the go ahead, or have him wait.

But Scott didn't wait. Whether too impatient or nervous to wait, or thinking that the go ahead had been for both of them, he'd started across the open doorway without bothering to check. And in the end, it cost him, as a purple blur lunged out of the dark room with a screech, and he disappeared in a blur of red light, the echoes of his horrified scream lasting longer than he did.

The animatronic turned to them, a stream of unintelligible words coming out of its mouth before one garbled word came across, being hissed over and over: "Feed." It let loose another inhuman screech before it, too, disappeared, leaving the Doctor and a stunned Lyssa behind as he clutched her to him.

"Come on, we don't have much time. Run!" the Doctor whisper-shouted, tugging her down the hallway. "We have to move before they come!"

She could only stumble along behind him, barely able to keep up with everything. It was all moving so fast, and they'd already lost two innocent people to the Master's madness. And she was only still around because of the Doctor's skills. As it was, they managed to survive another three hours, but they were now running on fumes, no closer to finding the exit, and only more liable to make mistakes.

Like dropping her flashlight on the floor in front of an open door.

An open door that held an animatronic inside, because why would anything in life ever be easy?

Of course, that could have been fine, they might have been able to play it off by holding still.

Except, Lyssa couldn't help herself when the deformed version of the cowboy mouse animatronic entered the hallway, her nerves already strained to the breaking point. She tried to hold still, but her body physically could not stop shaking. That, combined with the awkward pose she'd assumed when she'd tried to grab her flashlight before she'd had to freeze, combined to make a deadly equation.

She fell.

Before the animatronic could lunge for her, however, there was a split-second of reaction time. And the Doctor took it. Before she could even say a word, he'd used his insanely fast reflexes to place himself in between the animatronic and her, shoving her behind him. One second he was there, and the next, he was gone. One earsplitting screech later, and so was the animatronic, leaving her entirely alone in the hallway.

She swallowed hard, staring in horror at the empty doorway where she had last seen the Doctor, praying that it was all just a bad dream, that she would wake up, and they'd be in the TARDIS. But she didn't. She still had faint traces of blood on her hand, where the Doctor hadn't been able to get it all out, and her lip still stung from when she'd bitten it so hard it'd bled.

And she was still all alone, collapsed on the floor of a children's restaurant, half blinded by tears as she tried not to sob. She placed a hand over her mouth as a sob escaped her lips, then another. One hand fell to the floor, barely able to hold her up as she gave in and broke down, uncaring of whether or not she would be found by the remaining animatronic. All she cared about was that she had lost her best friend.

xXx

She didn't know how much later it was when she managed to draw in a shuddering breath and look up, but it didn't matter, as suddenly the green light of an exit sign a few yards away lit up in her vision. She stared at it disbelievingly, hardly able to grasp what she was seeing. All this time, and they had been so close. So, so close.

She started crying again.

At last, forcing herself to stand up, she staggered towards the door, her gait unsteady, and her vision blurred with tears. She was nearly dead on her feet, blinded by tears, and she'd lost her best friend to a nightmare that she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life.

But she was alive.

She pushed open the door, half surprised when it actually opened, and stepped outside into the bright light of the morning sun. Too caught up in her own pain, she never noticed the glowing eyes in the darkness behind the door that suddenly blinked out of sight. She never noticed the mysterious lack of people around the building. And she forgot one very important fact.

The man who'd caused all of this was waiting for her.

* * *

 **A/N: Ya'll get three guesses what inspired this adventure... and the first two don't count. Gosh, I've been looking forward to writing this adventure for so long, and yet, it took stinking forever to write! :/ *grumbles incoherently to self***

 **Glad to see that people seem to like Bria so far! *remembers what I did this chapter* Well. This is awkward. *Shuffles feet***

 **Also, reminder that in this story, Missy is not the Master. I think I mentioned that a few chapters ago, and everyone decided that they still wanted to see Missy, so she'll show up too, sooner or later. Just wanted to throw that out there.**

 **Also, if anyone's worried/curious about the ending, (or the actor who the Master looks like) I've left quite a few hints this chapter, and if you can find them, it should help you put things together pretty quickly with just a bit of deduction. ;)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Michael, Fakira, Eternal Chronicler, V, gabumon7, and kallianeira for reviewing!**

 ** _Michael: Thanks! It really means a lot to me when people take the time to review, and it's always highly motivating. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)_**

 ** _Fakira: Thanks! I feel quite a bit better now, just dealing with a cough that refuses to go away. :P Lyssa was floating because the TARDIS turned off the gravity in her room, so that the fall from the earthquake on Krop Tor wouldn't affect her, so that she would feel no impact. That's the gist of it. Hopefully that clears it up. :) I certainly did have a wonderful Easter, and I'm glad you did as well. :D More of Bria this chapter, but not for long unfortunately... :( At least you'll get to see her in her earlier timeline. *no comment as to anything else* *looks up google translate* hahaha, thanks! *uses it again* Ti hefyd! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 ** _Eternal Chronicler: It was, wasn't it... and I'm afraid it doesn't get much better here...*cheeky grin* I gave a few more clues as to who he is this chapter (or at least, the character he looks like). Hahaha, hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reviewing! :D_**

 ** _V: Hahahaha, it's official. You are now one of my favorite reviewers. (I mean, don't get me wrong, I love all of them, but you get the award for the one that makes me laugh the most). It's always awesome when I get a review from you, lol. New update is here! Hope you like. :)_**

 ** _gabumon7: Thanks! I try to add those in every so often, it makes for a nice break, and my readers don't know what's going to happen... *evil laugh* Hope you liked this one. :D_**

 ** _kallianeira: It's always nice to see a new reader who says they enjoyed my story! :D And yep, the Doctor is straightforward when he can be, and he'll actually tell her (at one point) when he has to lie to her for her own safety. But for the most part, he tries to be as honest with her as he can be. And I like to reveal the answers to some questions, but I also like to cause more questions as I go alone *evil laugh* Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who (or Chuck-E-Cheese) but Lyssa is all mine!**


	36. Chapter 36 - Face Your Fears

Lyssa collapsed to the ground as soon as she was far enough away from the building, the rocks and gravel digging into her knees through her jeans. A keening wail escaped her as she doubled over, burying her face in her hands.

All those times she'd cried watching the show, it was over someone leaving - not dying, never dying. Even Clara had managed to find a way to keep going with the Doctor's aid. And there'd always been the comfort of the fact that the Doctor always won in the end, someway, somehow.

This wasn't the show. They weren't actors, and her best friend had just been killed in a horrific way. She raised a shaky hand to swipe at her lip and winced, the action pulling at the cut on her lip. She pulled her hand away and flinched again at the sight of fresh, warm blood.

It was bad enough that she could still feel the chill of the blood landing on her hand from when Bria... She shook her head sharply, refusing to think about it even as a thought tugged sharply at her. She had a tenuous enough grip on sanity as it was.

Feeling a fresh flood of feelings well up inside her, she clutched her head in her hands as if to keep it all inside, before closing her eyes and screaming out her pain to a universe that wasn't listening. The empty lot echoed with her cries until she slumped over, beating a hand weakly against the ground, all of her energy seeming to have disappeared.

"Why? Why did you have to die?" she sobbed, ignoring the pain as her palm scraped against the ground. "It wasn't - It didn't - It's not fair!"

"Life's usually not, I find." The smooth voice made her freeze. Slowly raising her head, she sucked in a sharp breath as she saw Mor - the Master strolling towards her. The dark purple suit he wore had a few dark splotches here and there, as if a liquid had been spilled on it. "And anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool."

"What - what do you want?" she forced out tiredly, swiping at her eyes, unable to summon up the energy beyond a weak loathing. "Here to gloat? Kill me in some horrific way? Like you did my friends?"

"Oh, they're not your friends, Alyssa," he hummed, pulling a small jewelry box out of his pocket and playing with it, tossing it back and forth in his hands. "I could tell as soon as I saw you. You're too early. You don't even know who they really are to you yet. What he is. What she is." He chuckled lightly. "He doesn't even know who she is yet."

"I know enough to decide that I like her a lot more than I like you," she snapped bitterly.

"You say that like you expect it to hurt me," he mused, flipping the box idly in his hands. "But anyways, that's not what I'm here for. I can't kill you, not yet. Not until you're ready. No, I'm just here to give you this. I managed to snag it for you before it was recycled." He tossed the box onto the ground, where it rolled by her hands until it came to a stop.

She eyed it in confusion before turning back to him warily. "What is this?"

He shrugged, throwing his arms up in the air in a dramatic extension of the gesture. "I thought you might want it. As a reminder. Poetic justice, perhaps? Irony? Karma? The real exit's back through there, by the way," he informed her, jerking a thumb at the house of horrors she had just exited. "I just brought you out here so we could have a little chat, give you something to burn, the usual." He eyed her. "You are smart enough to know that Time Lord bodies can't be buried, right? Have to be burned."

She clenched her hands into fists, glaring up at him. "I'm aware. Now are you done? You've come out here to gloat, insult me, try and goad me into having a panic attack, try and force me to feel guilty about surviving your horrific stream of murders, and told me where the exit was. Anything else you'd like to add, Mister?"

"My name is the Master," he spat, glaring down at her. "And I suggest you use it correctly, before I force you to remember why I have that name."

She couldn't find it in herself to be frightened. "Or what? You'll kidnap me? Torture me? Murder my friends right in front of me? Oh, I know! You'll try and kill me again!" Her voice and expression fell flat. "Oh, no. Please. Don't. I'll do anything. Mister."

He scoffed. "As if I would kill you before your time. Where's the fun in that? No, I just wanted to play a little game with you. But the party's almost over now, and so is all the fun. All that's left to do is say goodbye." He chuckled darkly, mood switching in an instant. "Which will be a whole new kind of fun. I look forward to hearing you scream. Try not to get lost on your way back out. It'll only make it easier for them to find you."

He strolled a few feet away and rolled back his sleeve, revealing a vortex manipulator on his wrist. Prying it open, he pressed a few buttons before stopping and glancing back at her. "Oh, and Alyssa? I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but I would like to say that I've at least contributed to you gaining some semblance of brains before you die."

He rolled his eyes. "Use your brain, if you have one, and think about what happened in there. There's a few things that just don't make sense. Unless, of course, you're a madman like me." He laughed again before pressing another button and disappearing in a flash of light, leaving Lyssa alone once more.

She just sat there for a moment, blinking at the place he used to stand in confusion. "What? What's he trying to say?" she muttered, frowning at the ground. "I don't understand." She sniffed and wiped at her nose, certain she looked like a mess. She glanced down at her hand, covered in now-drying blood, and frowned. There it was again, something pounding on her brain, trying to get its point across. But her thoughts were too muddled, and she gave it up after a few minutes.

Running a hand through her now-tangled hair, her eyes caught sight of the jewelry box, still sitting on the ground where the Master had tossed it. Tentatively she reached a hand out for it and picked it up, half afraid that it would blow up when she touched it. Turning it over in her hands, she could see nothing off about it, and carefully cracked it open, turning her head away just in case something were to go off.

Nothing happened. She turned back to the box carefully, prying it open all the way and peering inside.

She gasped and dropped the box on the ground as if it had burned her.

The box landed with a thump, a gold ring falling out onto the ground and spinning around before falling over. His gold ring. The one that the Doctor, this Doctor, always wore. Back home, it was to honor his wife. Here, she didn't know what it meant.

But it still meant something to him, and the Master just stole it from him - his body. How he got it from the robots, she didn't know, wasn't sure she wanted to. Wasn't sure how in control she'd be if she kept thinking about it.

In fact, she was sure he meant for it to break her. He'd obviously done his research on how messed up she was, how to trigger her again. The robots that trap you inside, the blood landing on her hand - there it was again, that nagging thought - the terror of knowing you couldn't do anything to stop it. Maybe he was surprised that she'd lived and was still relatively sane, and hoped to use this to tip her over the edge.

Well, unfortunately for him, she was as stubborn as a mule, and perhaps too much in shock to be as traumatized as she was before. Or something. Because rather than break her, it just made her all the more determined to get out of here and find the TARDIS, and fix this. Because that was what the Doctor always did, and if the Doctor was out, then she would just have to find a way to do it for him.

But that meant going back into the house of horrors. From here, it looked nondescript. A large building, with a door, and a few windows here and there that reflected the outside back to her. Probably not real then. Just there to make it look normal. She glanced around, noting the lack of people - or anything, really, outside of the gravel parking lot that surrounded the building. There was a row of grass beyond that, but nothing else. It just seemed to - well, end, for lack of a better word.

She grimaced, putting her hand on the ground and using it to push herself up, clasping the ring tightly in her other hand. Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, she swiped the tear stains from her face, uncaring of the blood that might be left there by her hand. All the emotions she had been feeling - pain, disbelief, they all were swallowed up by a fierce determination to get back through the house to the TARDIS and find a way to save the Doctor, whatever it took.

That, and a fierce desire to punch the Master in the jaw the next time she saw him.

She walked as slowly as she could, but still eventually ended up in front of the door. She gathered a handful of rocks and put them in her pocket, took one more deep breath then looked down at the ring in her hand, hoping that somehow it would encourage her. And it did, just not in the way she expected.

Because etched on the inside, in letters that were still warm to the touch, were three short words.

 _Face your fears._

She traced them with a trembling finger, her mouth falling open. There was only one man who could have done this, and he had to have done it recently. Which means -

"He's still alive!" she gasped, bringing her free hand to her mouth. He was alive. He had to be alive. She wouldn't accept any other possibility. If she thought about it, the Master wouldn't have just killed him like that, he would have gone for something showier, and more like a full on massacre. Only four people were affected by this - her, the Doctor, Bria, and Scott.

She glanced up at the building again, hope building in her. If the Doctor wasn't dead, then maybe the others weren't either. After all, hadn't he said he still needed Bria for something? Even if it was for something awful, she could still be alive - and if the Doctor rescued her once, he'd hopefully figure out a way to do it again.

Scott... she couldn't hold out much hope for him. The Master had said nothing about him, and while the animatronics likely hadn't killed him if they hadn't killed the others, it was entirely possible that the Master had still killed him.

She stilled. The animatronics. She'd almost forgotten about them. There'd been four of them at the start, on the stage, and one of them disappeared after every... disappearance. Which meant it was entirely possible that there was only one left. Which made things a whole lot easier.

She glanced down at her hands, seeing the ring in one, and the drying blood on the other. Her brow knit as she recalled the difference between how the blood from Bria had felt like ice on her hand, and the blood from her lip had felt warm. Warm, because it was fresh, and heated by her body. And unless Bria wasn't human - which she highly doubted, as the Doctor would have said something to that effect - her blood should have been the same temperature.

Which means it most likely wasn't her blood. If it was blood at all. And the thought that had been nagging the back of her consciousness at all erupted once more in full force, this time forcing its way through to the front. All the inconsistencies tumbled through her mind, one after the other.

Robots - robots that didn't even have much of an AI in the first place - suddenly gaining "sentience". Robots needing blood to "oil" themselves, especially when they didn't need it previously. Bria's blood being ice cold. Her blood coming from the beak of the animatronic, even though it was too far away from where her body would have been. The Doctor and Bria being "killed" when it wasn't the Master's style - both to kill off the Doctor without at least making him suffer first, and the sheer lack of attention drawn to it.

Unless he was watching them somehow. Which, given the animatronics, he probably was.

Feeling a sudden surge of anger and confidence in her, she glared up at the building as if it were the Master, and, muttering something under her breath, clutching the ring in her hand for dear life, she pushed open the door.

It fell open silently, the light from outside lighting up the darkened interior. A short distance down the hallway, she could see her flashlight on the floor, where it had fallen from her grieving hands. Taking one last look at the ring in her hand, she slipped it onto her thumb, where it seemed least likely to fall off, and closed her eyes before stepping back into the building.

 _Face your fears._

Almost instantly she was surrounded by the darkness of the building. The light from behind her did little to light her way, and she was sure that once she shut the door, it would be completely dark once more.

So she didn't. Propping the door open with a large rock, she made her way over to her flashlight, forcing herself to pick it up with trembling fingers. The Master had said something about the changes making them sensitive to light, so if she couldn't use it normally without fear of attracting their attention, maybe she could use it to drive them off, or something.

She vaguely recalled the direction they took when reaching the door, so she hoped she would be able to reverse it in her head. Or just figure it out on her own. Because, really, the main reason their trip through the building took almost seven hours was because they were going so slow and waiting outside each room to check for the animatronics. Which she was going to need to do. Wouldn't do anyone much good if she got caught now.

So, silently cursing the Master in her head, she started off down the hallway. It wasn't long before she came to the first door and slowed to a stop outside. She waited a minute and then, when there was no response, she took a small pebble from her pocket and tossed it down the hallway, pinning herself against the wall as it clattered and tumbled.

Still nothing.

Forcing herself to move forward, she scooted quickly past the open doorway and crept further down the hallway. The light from the exit was now completely gone, and only the odd greenish lighting from the building itself lit up her way.

There were only two more doorways before the hallway turned, and out of caution, she stopped before each one, listening carefully for any sort of sound before moving on. She didn't bother to throw a rock again, figuring that if it was going to attract attention, it would have already. Once she was at the end, she paused again, carefully peering around the edge of the wall for anything out of place in both directions. Seeing nothing, she slipped around the corner, her fingers tensing around her flashlight.

And a tiny measure of relief relaxed her shoulders ever so slightly. There was enough of the dim lighting that she would have been able to tell if there was anything along the walls, and there was nothing. Even better, there was only one door along this hallway, and the door, for once, was shut.

Admittedly, she didn't recall seeing any shut doors on the first journey, so she advanced with caution, stopping once more outside the door. It stayed shut, though, so she quickly moved past it and down the hallway, checking behind her for any sign of someone - some _thing_ \- coming up behind her ever now and again.

She managed to make it this way for another hour without ever once seeing a sign of anything, animatronic or human - well, human-like, at least. While they'd managed to do that before, she felt it was rather suspicious now. But, given the conspicuous lack of Time Lord - complete with genius-level intellect and sonic screwdriver - next to her, there wasn't much she could really do about it besides keep on going.

It was horrifying, nerve-wracking, and dredging up all sorts of unpleasant memories she'd tried to bury deep in her mind. It'd barely been a month, and yet here she was again, taking on more monsters of the same variety. Every time she thought about giving up though, about curling up in a ball and blocking out the world, she remembered the Doctor.

How there were so many times that he wanted to give in, so many monsters that he faced, that had taken so much away from him - Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, and yet he kept going. How every time, he'd find the strength to keep going, and he'd defeat them, proving himself the better man time and time again.

 _Face your fears._

So every time she wanted to hide away in hopes that everything would magically fix itself, instead she rubbed her fingers over the cool ring on her thumb, taking comfort from the small piece of metal. She'd have to remember to give it back to the Doctor when this was all over - but she would give it back, because she was going to find him. She had to. She refused to accept any possible alternative, and kept moving forward.

She turned down the next hallway and came to an abrupt stop. A set of double doors lay open to the main area, complete with the stage in it. The hallway beyond it had been blocked off by rubble, though where it came from, she didn't know. The building still seemed whole, but she could no longer reach the front of the building by this route. And she couldn't go back. It was very clear which way the Master wanted her to go.

So, steeling herself, she held her head high and strode into the room, an inkling of a plan beginning to form in her mind. A desperate, probably incredibly stupid plan, but the only one she had, and a plan nonetheless. She shuddered at the sight of the four animatronics on the stage, but kept going, practically waltzing right up to the stage, her flashlight held loosely in her grasp.

Three of them - the ones who'd already taken the others - didn't move, didn't even seem to be active anymore, staying frozen in their positions on the stage.

The fourth one turned to her, its blue eyes glowing brightly in its head, its unnatural smile seeming to shine with a malevolence all of its own as it waited for her to approach.

It seemed to be waiting for something, some sort of signal, as it did nothing besides stare as she approached. She glanced down at the ring on her thumb, knowing that this was it. She was either going to find out what was going on, or die trying. She could do this. She could. She would.

 _Face your fears._

Making her way to the front of the last remaining animatronic, she tilted her head back in defiance and glared at it. "You want me, you twisted psycho? Come and get me!"

The last thing she heard was an earsplitting screech before she felt something wrap around her, pinning her arms to her chest.

* * *

 **A/N: So, my computer just shut down right as I almost finished this, and I swear I almost had a heart attack, because I hadn't finished it yet. Thank goodness for automatic saves.**

 **Apologies for the short chapter and late update, you'd think that a blizzard in the middle of April would give me the chance to be better about updating earlier, but I'm not. :P Sorry. I really did want to get this out much earlier, but things did not work out the way I had planned. On the bright side, though, this gives me the chance to work in everything else I've been trying to next week.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Eternal Chronicler, brmngirl, V, Alix Winchester, Fakira, and Guest for reviewing! (And congratulations to everyone who guessed that this was based off of Five Nights at Freddy's [Which I don't own] - and special congratulations to everyone who figured out which character I based the Master off of)**

 ** _Eternal Chronicler: Lol, I've never played it either, but I've seen others play it, and it's definitely... intense. Haha, that was Lyssa's sentiments as well. Right now, she's got hope that they're alive, but... keep in mind, this is the farthest Lyssa's ever been. This might be the end of the road for them. (And great guess on which character the Master is!) Thanks for your review! I'm really sorry that this one is so short, but I needed to get it out there. :/ Hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _brmngirl: Thanks. :) That's what I was going for. And I figured I should at least make a nod to that childhood restaurant we've all been to, or heard about at some point or another. And no worries about not reviewing. As can clearly be seen, I struggle to update sometimes. :P I'm just glad you've been liking it. :D_**

 ** _V: hahahaha, it's so nice knowing that when I need a laugh, or something to motivate me to keep writing, I can just go to my reviews and look through yours, lol. Thanks! I always look forward to hearing from my reviewers, but there's something to be said for the unique quality of yours. :D Thanks for the awesome review (and nice job restraining yourself with the gloating, lol). Hope you liked it! :D_**

 ** _Alix Winchester: Hahaha, I'm sorry... I needed someone creepy enough to pull of the Master, and he immediately came to mind. And sorry... there's some hopeful thinking here, but there is still a very high chance that Bria and the Doctor are both dead - I am being 100% serious when I say that the Doctor and Bria are close to the end of the line, if not there already. :/ Revenge? Eh... not this chapter, but Lyssa concurs with you. :D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Fakira: Yep. Got it in one. So, in reference to the Master/Missy thing, a few chapters ago I said that I would need the Master in this story, and so he could not be Missy. So I left it up to the readers whether they wanted me to drop Missy from the story completely, or still have her, but just have her be some other psychopath. Everyone seemed to want her, so she's still here. Hope that clears things up. And I'm sorry about the lack of conclusion in this chapter, but I simply did not have the chance to get it complete this chapter. At least the next chapter should clear things up, as to whether or not Bria and the Doctor are still alive. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Guest: Thanks! As for why she can't take it off... first of all, congratulations on being one of the first people to comment on that. :D Second, well... at least part of the reason should be explained soon. Believe it or not, it's actually a key part of this story. :D Thanks for the review, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! :) Stay safe in that weather out there.**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who (or Chuck-E-Cheese, or FNAF), just Lyssa.**


	37. Chapter 37 - End Game

Lyssa immediately began to struggle, straining against the bindings holding her down and kicking her feet wildly as she was lifted into the air.

"Let me go," she screeched, jerking against her restraints to no avail. "Let me go!" But the arms holding her only tightened, pinning her arms to her side as something soft and warm buried itself in between her neck and shoulder, a soft Scottish burr reaching her ears through the roaring panic.

She stilled, sucking in a breath as her feet touched the ground once more, and she slid to the floor, something cold and metal. "Doctor? Is it really you?" she asked weakly, her voice quivering.

"It's me, fairy-girl," she heard the familiar voice whisper. "And if you doubt it, just wait." The restraints loosened and slid down her arms until they met her hands, and she realized that they weren't restraints, they were hands. Wrinkled and worn, but very familiar as they clasped hers, radiating a warmth that calmed her racing heart. "Do you feel that?"

Her voice trembled as she answered. "Yes."

"That's how you know it's really me. It doesn't happen with anyone else, besides me. I'm right here with you, alive, and you're alive, and everything's going to be all right."

"But - but how? I don't understand," she stammered, holding his hands so tight she was afraid her nails were digging into his. "I mean - at first I thought you were dead, but then the Master came, and I thought you might not be after he gave me your ring, but then I thought that maybe I was just trying too hard to hope for the best, and just setting myself up for a greater fall, and then -"

"Lyssa, breathe," he interrupted gently.

She huffed out a laugh that came out more like a sob, well aware that tears were forming in her eyes, and she hated it. She'd already cried more than enough that day because of the Master, and she didn't want to give him any more satisfaction. "Sorry."

He released her hands, coming around and kneeling in front of her, grasping her hands again reassuringly. "It's not your fault, Lyssa. The Master led us here, has been leading us all on a wild goose chase. This is all a distraction, meant to weaken and terrify us while he goes for the real goal."

She sniffed, not wanted to free her hand to swipe at her once-again runny nose. "And what's that? Doesn't he normally want to take over the world, or something? Did he try doing that while we were trapped in here?"

He shook his head. "Nothing so simple, I'm afraid. Once I woke up a few hours ago, the Master came by to gloat." His brows furrowed and his eyes darkened as his hands suddenly held hers tighter. "And he stole my ring. Claimed he was going to use it to lead you into another trap, and make me watch as he caught you."

"So wait." Lyssa pulled her hand free of his, regretting the loss of contact, and slipped the ring off of her thumb. "So... you weren't the one to write the words on here? He was?" She felt sick at the thought of the Master manipulating yet another part of the Doctor's life - especially something that was clearly so valuable to him.

"What? Words? No, I didn't have the chance to write any. My arms were bound, and I had no way of doing so even if they weren't. But I didn't see him write any words on it, and he didn't mention doing so, either. And it'd be a bit out of character for the Master to miss the chance to gloat. What do they say?"

She dropped the ring in his hand wordlessly, not missing the way his expression lightened just the tiniest bit once he was holding the metal. He glanced down at the words, reading them silently before frowning in confusion, running a free hand through his hair and making it even wilder than it already was.

"Face your fears?" he read aloud, shaking his head. "No, that doesn't make sense. That's not his style. Why would he write that?"

"Because it..." Lyssa stopped and swallowed hard. "Because it encouraged me to go back in the house. He told me that that was the only way to escape, and I believed him - it didn't look real, outside. But I still didn't want to go back inside. But seeing the words gave me hope that you might have been alive, and so, I had to try and get back through, so I could find the TARDIS, and rescue you. Or - " she lowered her voice and stared at the floor. "Find a way to a-avenge you, I guess. Stop him, somehow, if I could."

"Except that's not what happened," he stated the obvious, his voice gentle.

She nodded. "I was trying to find my way through, and listen for them, but then the route was blocked. There was a bunch of rubble in the hallway, and the only way that was clear was to come into the area by the stage. I wasn't quite sure why the Master wanted me to go this way, if he wanted me to find the way we came in, but," she shrugged, "I got an idea and decided to go with it. If I got captured by the animatronics, and wound up with you, then maybe you'd be able to figure a way for us to escape, and this way, we'd all be together."

"And if the animatronics really had killed us?" he asked, his voice heavy. "If Bria and Scott and I were all dead, what was your plan then? What did you think would happen when you charged an animatronic?"

Her eyes met his briefly - just long enough to see how unhappy he looked - before she shifted her gaze back to the floor again. "I wasn't - I didn't think you were dead, I told you that. If you die, I die, or something like that, I think that's what River said, and I was physically fine, so you couldn't be dead," she rambled.

"Lyssa," his voice was cautious now, bereft of all the joy it had held when they'd first reunited. "You never mentioned that earlier when you said why you thought I might not be dead. You said it was because you thought I'd written those words on the ring."

"Yeah? And?" She still refused to meet his gaze, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "There were a whole lot of things that I didn't say. A whole lot of things that didn't make sense, that I couldn't even put together properly until I was trying to put myself together and work up the courage to enter the house. Like Bria's blood landing on my hand."

She could see the Doctor flinch from the corner of her eye, and repressed a shudder of her own. "It was cold. Icy cold, like it'd been refrigerated. And if Bria was - is - human, like I was assuming, then it should have been warm."

"Bria's human," the Doctor affirmed, sounding strained. "Completely human."

Lyssa nodded, still refusing to look up from the absolutely fascinating piece of dirt on her shoes. "Like I said, I didn't realize that until later, but it didn't make sense. That, and the fact that it came from the beak, her body - her body wouldn't have - it didn't make sense that there'd be blood coming from the beak," she managed to explain.

"And then there was the whole thing about the robots suddenly 'gaining sentience and a need for blood' when they'd had neither of those things before... It just didn't add up. And like I said, maybe I was desperate, but I so wanted to hope that you were alive, that I thought that maybe you'd written those words on the ring, too, as a way to encourage me."

The Doctor shook his head, letting out a groan as he ran a hand down his face. "I've been a right proper pudding brain, Lyssa. He played the both of us for fools, and we let him. If I'd been paying more attention to my surroundings, I would have seen that, seen all the inconsistencies. But the Master kept me focused on my surroundings, I had to be alert, and using all my senses to watch for everything that I should have been. And then after I got captured, I was too worried about breaking free and finding you to focus on much of anything else."

She looked up for the first time, his icy blue eyes melting just a little as they met hers. "There you are," he whispered. "I really was worried about you. The Master knows our fears, and how to play off of them. For you, it was the robots, and the fake blood. Everything that reminded you of Canary Wharf. For me..." He laughed, thought there was no joy in it. "It's been what I've always feared. Losing you. Whether to a threat, or to someplace that I can't follow. And that's something the Master's always known."

"I don't understand," she frowned, shaking her head. "How would I go somewhere you can't follow? You have a TARDIS. You could go anywhere you wanted to; and even when I jump, I jump to someplace where you're at."

"There's one place you can go, where I can't follow," the Doctor told her quietly. When she looked up at him, he tapped her forehead gently with one finger. "When you hide in there, and shut the world out because it's been too cruel, and I can't follow you there."

"But what about the french lady - the girl in the fireplace when you were Ten?" she questioned. "I thought you guys had the ability to do that sort of thing."

"Not without permission," he said heavily. "Never without permission. I would never violate your privacy in such a way." He shut his eyes. "But that's not the point. The point is that the Master used our fears against us to take what he really wanted. This was just like a game to him - he didn't even really take it that seriously, or he would have tried harder to keep me locked up."

"So then, if he didn't want to kill us, what did he really want?"

The Doctor sighed heavily. "Bria. She still has value to him, because he can use her to help bring about the coming of the Siren."

Lyssa's head snapped back to meet his. "The Siren?"

He nodded, his eyes distant and weary. "It's time. I know it, and he knows it." He gave her a weak smile. "This is the latest you've ever seen me, and this is the earliest version of you that I've seen in a long time. That, and I believe the message on the ring isn't just for you. And it's not from the Master, either." He looked at the writing on the inside of the ring one more time thoughtfully before slipping it back onto his ring finger.

"It's not?" Lyssa asked, stunned. "But then, who did it?"

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Quite possibly the same person who placed all the rubble outside that hallway and forced you to come inside where I could reach you, as opposed to going to the front of the building, where the Master no doubt had some sort of trap set up. But the only person I can think of isn't capable of coming here - not yet, at least. And not without great cost to herself."

"Okay, I'm getting more and more confused here, but I think we need to try and set a few things straight at least," Lyssa decided, rubbing her temple withe one hand. "I don't know much about the Siren - hardly anything, actually - but I know that she's feared by just about everyone, so I'm assuming her arriving or whatever is a really bad thing? Which is why the Master wants to bring it about?

"And then second of all, how did you escape? Did Scott? And what about Bria? Are we going to go after her? Actually, before I ask that, how are we going to get out of here? And where is here? Are we inside the animatronic somehow?" she asked, glancing around the room, which was filled with mechanical gears.

"In order of appearance, yes, the Siren... the Siren means death. But there are some people she must never meet, for then it will be the battle for time itself," the Doctor muttered, for once refusing to meet her eyes.

"And then will come the greatest sacrifices of all. And that's why the Master seeks to release her, to unleash the chaos and destruction he worships. I escaped because the Master handcuffed me to the wall, but neglected to take my sonic screwdriver - yet another reason I believe he did all this on purpose. He wants me to escape and follow him, so I can be there for the greatest confrontation yet."

He scoffed bitterly. "It will be anything but great. And yet I can do nothing but follow him. I have to." He raised a hand and gestured to their surroundings. "I used my sonic to rewire the controls. There was a simple AI in place to operate them, and a transporter beam that they used to suck us in and shrink us when they 'attacked.' I managed to hack the controls of the other animatronic and send you over here when you triggered the attack of that one. I'm hoping we can use it to get out of here. Scott's alive, he's snoring on the floor somewhere over there," he jerked a thumb at a motionless lump by the far wall.

"I managed to lock onto him and bring him over here, but there's no sign of Bria anywhere in the building. I think I'm going to have to go back to where she was raised - and I use the term loosely," he added darkly, "to find out where to even begin to look for her before it's all too late. We're currently in an animatronic, and still on the stage, although I can manipulate the controls enough to move them, if I try. The attack program has been deleted from all of them, so the others shouldn't cause any problems."

Lyssa considered the rapid flow of information for a minute. "Are you and Scott all right?" she asked at last. "Any side effects, or whatever? Like why Scott's still asleep, when you and I are both awake?"

"I'm a Time Lord," he reminded her. "Different system. And I defused all the harmful systems before you were caught, but I'm assuming Bria, Scott, and I all got the same treatment - some sort of knock-out gas. I checked him. He's fine, he'll just be a bit loopy when he wakes up. And before you ask, I'm all right."

Lyssa watched him silently for a minute, pondering the way his hand shook ever so slightly, and the way his words didn't quite ring true, and how his eyes kept running her over, pausing on her various scrapes. How he'd admitted that one of his worst fears - because she refused to believe that it was his absolute worst - was losing her.

A memory of a different Doctor and companion, who'd escaped another horror, came to mind. "Is 'all right' Time Lord code for 'really not all right at all'?" she asked, a sad smile quirking up the edges of her lips. "Because if so, then I'm all right, too."

He stared at her wordlessly for a moment, his blue eyes searching her brown, before he suddenly stood and extended a hand to her. "Then what's say we go and be all right together," he suggested. "Two heads are better than one. Unless you're Flovaxian. Then it just causes problems, because they're supposed to have three heads, not two. It can get messy sometimes, I've seen it," he said in a stage whisper. "But in this case, I think you might be just what I need to help us get out of here. And I will get you out of here," he promised.

Lyssa smiled, accepting his hand, and help up, gratefully. "The Oncoming Storm and Lyssa, against the Master. Sounds poetic. Well, the first part does, at least. My name sounds a bit more drab."

"The Doctor and his fairy-girl, against the universe," he corrected her. "Because when you're around, I can take on anything, as long as I know you're with me."

She felt her smile grow wider, perhaps only overshadowed by the blush now threatening to take on her face. "Always," she agreed, squeezing his hand.

The smile he threw her then was so bright it sent her heart pounding in her chest, a strange sort of ache growing there. He didn't notice though, having released her hand to spring on the various gears and controls scattered across the little room they were in. He had pulled out his sonic and was busy using it on everything he came across. She was almost over it, though, her face finally returning to its normal color when he had to go and ruin it.

"And you were wrong, earlier, Lyssa," he called, bent nearly double over a protruding panel.

"Wrong about what?" she called back.

He popped back up, holding a section of green wire triumphantly before turning to look at her. "It doesn't sound poetic. Or drab."

"What doesn't?"

"Me and you, against the universe. It doesn't sound drab. It sounds right." He grinned at the look on her face, winking before turning back to his work. "Oh, and you might want to cool your cheeks. These are very sensitive controls, and extreme temperatures could damage them."

Aaaand, there went the blush, replaced with a glare of equal heat. She forgave him though, because after thinking he might have been dead for several hours, she was much more inclined to forgive a bit of teasing. Especially since it was a nice distraction for the both of them. So she helped out where she could - basically just moving things back and forth - and paced the circular room while she waited for the Doctor to finish.

He'd already done most of it while she was navigating the halls earlier, however, so it was only about fifteen minutes before he was done and cautioning her to find something to hold onto, as they were about to leave the stage, and all the loose items on the floor slid forward as the room suddenly tilted forward.

"They're a bit clumsy, but they can move fast enough, so make sure you're holding on to something. Oh. And maybe secure Scott, if you can?" he added as an afterthought as the limp man started to slide as well. Lyssa cast him a withering look, but scooted down next to the man, and braced him against the wall as best as she could, wrapping her other arm around a protruding pipe for stability.

It seemed they had a map in their systems as well, for instead of wandering around for several hours like they had earlier, they were only lurching around in the animatronic for about five minutes before the Doctor had successfully navigated them around the rubble and to the front entrance. The real one, not the one that Lyssa would have ended up by - which apparently was just a door leading to a garbage disposal planet. Not immediate death, but potentially harmful and definitely unpleasant. The real door apparently led back to Earth, where they'd left less then a day ago.

The animatronic opened the door, revealing the fairgrounds from earlier - although the employee and everyone else previously in line were nowhere to be found- and, in the distance, the beautiful blue of the TARDIS. The Doctor had the animatronic beam them all outside and returned to their normal sizes before shutting down the robot and closing the door, locking it with his sonic screwdriver.

"This should keep the people out," he muttered under his breath, flipping the sign on the register to 'closed.' Returning back to the front of the building - once again a casual black building with no sign of the horrors seen within - the Doctor pulled Scott away from the building until he deemed it a safe enough distance, before patting him on the cheeks as the man began to stir.

"Mm, where am I?" he groaned, putting a hand to his head and squinting under the harsh light of the sun. He saw the Doctor leaning over him, and peered up at him drowsily. "Who're you? Wha's goin' on?" he slurred, slowly becoming more aware. "Did I hit my head?"

"Ah, no, Mister... "

"Scott," the man supplied groggily.

"Scott," the Doctor finished. "What do you remember?"

Scott sat up, pressing a hand to his head. "Not much, but with this kind of a headache, it's got to be a hangover. Sugar-induced crash? Unless John spiked my drink. Is that what happened?"

The Doctor ignored his questions, instead reaching down a hand to help him up. "Not as far as I'm aware, Mr. Scott. Can you stand up on your own?"

Scott waved him off. "Yeah, I'm good, thanks. Wish I could remember what happened, though." He slapped his back pocket. "Least I've still got my wallet." Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he commented, "It'd be fitting if it was gone, though. That was a strange dream. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Still had my wallet, though, I think."

He eyed the Doctor. "You ever dreamed that the animatronics in Chuck-E-Cheese's are evil, and hunt you down at night? Because it's a really weird dream. Might make for an interesting video game, though."

"Really?" the Doctor asked in amusement, tilting his head to the side.

Scott nodded eagerly as he became more alert, pulling out a small notepad and scribbling a few notes down in it. "Yeah. I'm a video game designer, and I've been trying to come up with something new for a while now. But this... this could be exactly what I'm looking for, something new and different. A horror game, where you have to avoid the animatronics at the restaurant. Not Chuck-E-Cheese's, though, that'd cause some copyright issues. And not a mouse. Kids don't play with those enough. They like stuff like tigers, and bears, and pirates..." He began scribbling furiously in his notebook.

The Doctor and Lyssa shared a look of amusement, the Doctor twirling his finger by his head, making Lyssa shoot him a reprimanding look. "Sounds like an interesting game," he commented.

Scott looked up suddenly and flushed, as if just remembering that they were there. "Sorry about that. You know how it is. Get an idea in your head, and bam! you just have to write it out, or you're gonna forget it." He looked at them curiously. "Have I met you before? Because you look kind of familiar."

The Doctor shook his head. "I've never seen you before today," he said honestly.

"Hmm," Scott mused, before shrugging. "Must just have one of those faces. Oh! But what if the animatronics are only evil because of a man in a purple suit... a purple man?" he mused questioningly, returning to his book. "And that all started because of a little girl, who's somehow connected to the man. The man and the crying girl? Crying child..." Lost in thought, he barely acknowledged their amused farewells before wandering off, chewing on the end of his pencil.

Lyssa watched him go, fighting the urge to break out into a semi-hysterical laughter before turning back to the Doctor. "He thinks it was all just a dream?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Seems kinder to let him believe that, than to tell him that it actually happened. He survived. People don't always do that." He was quiet a moment, then offered Lyssa his arm. "I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready to leave this place and never return."

"But what if other people try to get in?" Lyssa frowned, glancing back at the building in reluctant concern. "It could still be dangerous."

The Doctor shook his head. "The Master wanted it for us. No more point to it now. And a phone call or two should be enough to have it condemned and torn down. So, what do you say, Lyssa? Shall we go?"

Lyssa smiled, taking his arm. "The Doctor and his fairy-girl, off to save Bria. Sounds about right to me."

* * *

 **A/N: This is the part of the story where I tell you that everything in this story is completely fictional, and made up, and any similarities are completely coincidental. Completely. Scott is definitely not based off of someone. Nope.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to guest, afionna262, gabumon7, PikaMew1288, V, and Fakira for reviewing! :) They were all incredibly motivating this week, and very kind, so thank you all. :)**

 ** _Guest: I don't think I've ever been to Mr. Gatti's, but my personal favorite as a kid would probably be Gigglebees. Although, once again, the animatronic - a coyote, or something like that - creeped me out. :/ Thanks for reviewing! :)_**

 ** _afionna262: Aww, thanks. :D You have no idea how good it is to hear that people are looking forward to each new update. Hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _V: Whoops... :D At least there's not an awful cliffhanger here... I mean, we have no idea what happened to Bria, and the fate of the universe is at stake, but I didn't end it on a cliffhanger... right? ;) Hope this helped slake some of your thirst, lol. Thanks for the review, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _PikaMew1288: To quote River Song, you're good. I'm not saying you're right, but you're good. :D No comment as to what Lyssa actually is, right now, but you're close, I'll grant you that much. :) Thanks for the review, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _Gabumon7: I'm just gonna respond to all your (awesome) reviews in order, so you know what I'm responding to. (It was awesome receiving all those reviews, btw)  
1) Yeah, Lance didn't have the best ideas, and kind of acted in the spur of the moment. On the bright side, though, she probably doesn't have any brain damage. :D  
2 and 3) Thank you! I always try and add unique ways so that I'm not just following the script the whole time :D  
4) Yep. TBH, that was a chapter that I rushed the ending, and it shows. It was shorter than my normal "episode" chapters simply because Lyssa wasn't there for a good portion of it, and I'm writing this from her POV - which is why I didn't write it from a 3rd person POV from the Doctor or Amy. Not the best way to have done it, but I tried to both keep with the normal pattern, and explain what happened in the next chapter. Someday, though, if I ever get the time, I'm gonna go back and do a ton of editing - especially including that chapter. :P  
5 and 6) Yep. Based this regeneration of the Master off of Moriarty because he had the perfect creep appeal. :D And I'm generally not a huge fan of horror either - this is just a plot bunny that I took and rolled with, but this is probably the closest I'll ever come to writing horror - there'll be tons of fluff and angst in the future, but very little, if any, horror. Hope that helps. :) And thank you for all your reviews, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 ** _Fakira: Hahaha, that's good. :D Yep. Missy's still here. Fun fact: I despise the Master with a passion, but I loved Missy. No idea why. (unless it was the accent). The Doctor's all right... he said so... and the Doctor never lies, right? Bria... Bria's up in the air. We should be seeing where she grew up next chapter, though... Thanks for the review, and I hope you like it. :D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, Chuck-E-Cheese, or FNAF. Just Lyssa and the odd plot bunnies here and there.**


	38. Chapter 38 - End of the Line

**Trigger warning for mentions of child neglect in the first half of this chapter**

Lyssa held on tight to the console as the Doctor piloted them to the place where Bria had been raised. They'd both lost the previous light-hearted manner they'd had once they entered the TARDIS, and the ship herself seemed to reflect it, the interior darker than it usually was. Whether it was a new design, or just a temporary look because of the situation, it seemed appropriate.

Especially as the Doctor seemed to grow grimmer as each second passed. He'd looked up something on the monitor as soon as they'd entered, without letting her see, and had grown noticeably tenser ever since.

"Where was she raised?" Lyssa asked quietly as the Doctor slammed down a lever with more force than normal. "I know she was human, but was she from Earth?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know where she was born - she never told me, and most likely didn't know herself. But she was raised on the planet Telmar. It was settled by a small group of humans in the thirty-fourth century, and only because they had to. They were on a ship headed for another galaxy when it began to fail, and they crash-landed. By the time they were found, a few generations had passed, and it had become a home for them out of sheer stubbornness."

He glanced at her briefly. "It's not exactly a welcoming planet. It's harsh, frigid in the winters, and boiling in the summers. The native animals are carnivorous, and extremely hostile. All in all, exactly where I would expect the Master to 'raise' someone if he had to. Hold on, we're going in, and the TARDIS is not happy about it."

"Why?" Lyssa asked, her words coming out stilted as the TARDIS shook violently around them. "Is it like Trenzalore? Or Krop Tor?"

He glared at the console. "Yes." Inputting data into one of the screens, he twisted a knob and landed them, the TARDIS sounding distinctly unhappy. He softened slightly. "I know, old girl. I know." He ran one hand over the console lightly. "But it has to be done. You know it, and I know it. Please, don't make it any harder than it has to be."

The ship groaned one last time before a small hole opened up in the console, and a small red object popped out. He pocketed it before she got the chance to make it out and turned to her. "Let's go," he said quietly, holding a hand out to her.

She took the hand, and nearly dropped it in her surprise when she felt a blazing heat start from the point of contact and race up her arm and through her body. He only tightened his grip, and, noticing how fierce his eyes looked as he seemed to glare at everything and nothing, she said nothing.

Whatever it was he'd seen on the monitor, it had clearly disturbed him. Enough to the point where his emotions had agitated the time in both of them when they touched. And it had never been that bad before - not even after Canary Wharf.

He pushed open the door and led her out before locking the door with his key. He held the key in his hand for a moment, gazing down at it before closing his fist around it. When he opened it again, the key was gone. He placed his hand against the door, spreading his fingers against the wood and resting his forehead against it briefly, closing his eyes and murmuring something in a language she couldn't understand. When he opened them again, the emotions that had spread across his face were gone, and his face was like a stone, closed off and hard.

The only sign that he was even still feeling anything was the way his hand clutched hers like a lifeline, and the heat radiating from it through her. She was growing frightened now, stealing glances up at him as they walked, barely even taking in their surroundings. She'd noticed a grey sky, and brown dirt beneath them, but her main focus was on the man walking beside her.

She just couldn't understand why he was so upset. Yes, Bria had been captured by the Master, but he'd faced both the Master and lost companions before. And he'd always been determined to fight back, to stop the Master and save his friends. Never had he looked like this.

Like he'd lost all hope.

Like he had no hope of winning.

No plan to win.

And that scared her more than anything.

"Doctor?" Her voice was quiet, but it still sounded harsh, breaking the silence that had surrounded them as soon as they had left the TARDIS. He didn't say anything, but his eyes flicked to her briefly, so she took that as a sign to continue. "What's wrong? I've never seen you like this before. It's almost like you've - given up. Why? What's going on?"

He didn't answer at first, just kept walking. And after several minutes, she didn't think he was going to speak at all. So she lowered her head and stared at the ground, deciding to just be there for him and let him talk when he was ready. Perhaps he felt the loss of Bria more keenly because she was still so much like a child? And then that was compounded by the fact that the Master had her, and apparently had plans for her as well?

And then he spoke. "We're here." She startled, jerking her head up from the ground as they stopped. In front of them was a black building, roughly the shape of a small house, that even from the outside looked dark and foreboding.

"This is where Bria was raised?" she asked quietly, staring at the building. "It looks more like a haunted house than a place to raise a child."

"It is," he told her briefly, pulling her towards the door. "Stay close to me. And whatever you do, don't go out of my sight. I mean it. This is more dangerous than anything you've ever seen so far." Without giving her a chance to respond he kicked open the door - it fell open after only a blow - and stepped inside.

The interior was dark and dusty, the walls a dull gray, and the floor simply made of dirt. The few windows had black curtains hanging in front of them, and there were tally marks scratched into one corner of a wall. From what she could make out of the other rooms, they were the same. The only furniture in the room was an uneven table propped up against the wall, and a chair with a broken leg.

Lyssa shook her head in silent horror as the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning the room, flipping a switch and illuminating the room with a dim yellow light from a small light in the ceiling.

"Twenty years."

"What?" the Doctor asked, turning to look at her.

She shook her head again, fighting the sudden urge to cry. "If she's as old as I am, twenty years. That's how long she lived in this place before you saved her. Twenty years. Of this!" She waved her free hand wildly around. "No one should have to live in a place like this, let alone a child."

His face darkened. "No. They shouldn't." He let go of her hand then, crouching down to the floor and laying his head just above it, listening to something she couldn't hear. Mindful of his order to stay close, she didn't wander far as she explored the room, only to the doorway on the other wall - missing a door, although there were hinges noticeably placed along one side.

Peering through the doorway, she was about to place her hand on the doorway when a blur of motion startled her, and the Doctor was suddenly beside her, snatching her hand away. "Don't touch anything," he ordered gruffly.

She pulled her hand free and clutched it to her chest, frowning at him. "There's hardly anything here to touch, Doctor. I was just going to touch the doorway. What's wrong with that? Is it booby-trapped or something?"

"Or something," he muttered. "Have you noticed the way that I haven't touched anything except for the floor, and that only because I have to?"

She nodded slowly. "I was wondering why you kicked down the door without even trying the doorknob first."

"I told you this house is dangerous, Lyssa," he said grimly. "Don't touch anything. There's a very high chance it might just touch you back."

She blinked and took a step away from the wall, pulling her arms tight to her chest. "Okay," she muttered slowly. "Things are getting weird now. I don't suppose you want to mention why? No? Okay. Don't mind me then, I'll just be over here, sitting in the dark - literally and figuratively."

He snorted without humor. "Sorry, Lyssa. I've got to move on to the next room, and I'm not leaving you here alone." Keeping a close eye on her, he walked into the next room and waited until she joined him, holding up his sonic and scanning the walls. "I think this was the bedroom," he said after a minute, indicating a small pile of blankets in one corner.

Lyssa took a deep breath. "I know you and the Master used to be friends, Doctor, but I'm seriously contemplating hurting him. Like, pushing him in front of a bus, hurting him. And then driving the bus over him. I mean, I know I could never actually do it, but I want to. There's no excuse for what he did to Bria. Drums in his head or no."

The Doctor shook his head slowly, scanning the blankets cautiously. "Like I told Scott, Lyssa. We were friends once, even brothers, but no more. He hasn't been the man I befriended in a long time. I've made my peace with that. And right now, I'm almost inclined to agree with you. But not just for what he did to Bria. It's for what I know he will do."

"And what's that?" Lyssa asked cautiously, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. But the only answer the Doctor gave her was a look, sufficiently grim for her to get the point. "Ah. Something very not good. All right then. What's next? Have you found anything that might give you a clue as to where we can look for Bria?"

"Not yet," he grunted, leading her into another room, that was evidently the kitchen, judging by the cans of food stacked up against the wall. He scanned them briefly, then announced, "Non-perishable food. There's enough here to last a year. That's probably all she had to eat. None of what grows naturally on this planet is safe for humans."

"What about the other people on this planet?" Lyssa asked, feeling sick at the thought. "Wouldn't they have noticed, have done something?"

"There are no humans within ten miles of here. And you're assuming she got the chance to leave when she was a child," the Doctor stated without looking at her, frowning at his sonic screwdriver. "I'm fairly certain that the day I met her was the first time she left this place on her own." He shook his screwdriver as if that could change the results he was seeing and scanned the room. "I don't understand. Why am I not getting anything? I know there's something here. There's got to be."

Lyssa wandered around the room, careful to keep her hands to herself as she walked. She stopped outside the other empty doorway, noticing a small object lying against the wall in the other room. Something that looked like a locket, and very familiar - and not in a good way, her stomach starting to churn.

"Doctor?" she said slowly, stepping into the room, her eyes fixed on the locket. "You said Bria was human, right?"

"Yes, why?" he called, his voice distracted. Then there was a sudden flurry of activity as he evidently noticed she was no longer in the room with him, and darted after her. "I said not to leave my sight, Lyssa!" he scolded her. "Why did you leave? You could have been - why did you ask if Bria was human?" he switched topics suddenly, his voice wary. "That's the second time now today that you've asked that."

"Because I don't think that she originally was," Lyssa whispered, crouching down to the floor and, careful to not touch the floor with her fingers, gently picked up the locket that had circular symbols carved on it. Circles that were similar to the symbols on her necklace. She held it out to the Doctor, the locket displayed on her trembling hand.

He sucked in a sharp breath, reaching out to touch the locket before drawing it back as though it would burn him. "No. No." He shook his head vehemently, taking the locket from her hand and throwing it at the wall violently. It bounced off and fell to the floor, popping open and revealing a noticeable lack of contents. He ran his hands through his hair and turned to her, breathing heavily.

"She's not a Time Lord, Lyssa," he told her adamantly. "She's human. Or, well, she was."

"Was?" Lyssa repeated incredulously. "What do you mean, 'was?' Are you saying the Master used a chameleon arch to turn her from human to something else? Or that he's used it on someone else, or left it here for us to find, or, or, what are you saying?"

"Not quite," he said gravely, clenching his hands into fists and glaring at the empty locket. "I'm saying 'was' because there's a very high chance that she's no longer alive. That locket is new. Brand new - it couldn't have held a Time Lord consciousness for the last twenty years. And the writing on it - it's not telling me her Time Lord name. He's telling me where to find her. Where to find them. He's taunting me. Because there are a very small list of rules to follow when using a chameleon arch. Very small, but very important. And he's broken every. Single. One of them," he hissed.

"What are the rules?" Lyssa asked cautiously. "Did he change Bria into something she's not supposed to be?"

"You could say that," the Doctor practically snarled. "But now, now is not the time for explanations. Time is running short now, for all of us. The die has been cast, and the clock is ticking."

"Ticking until what?" Lyssa said in exasperation. "Doctor, you've been hinting at all this awful stuff ever since we got in the TARDIS, and refusing to explain any of it. But I need to know what's going on so I can help you. You said it yourself - two heads are better than one. Let me help you," she pleaded. "You said you didn't like it when I tried to retreat inside my head, and then you go and do the same thing. You're hiding everything in there, and not letting me in."

The Doctor softened at that, looking at her with sad eyes. He cupped her cheeks with his hands and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes briefly. "You're right," he admitted. "I haven't been telling you what's going on. I can't. Not all of it, not now. You're still young, too young." He stepped back a short distance, still cupping her cheeks. "I've known you for over a thousand years now. Far more than that, actually. And it hasn't been long enough. And I'm sorry."

"Doctor, you're scaring me. What's going on? What's so bad that it has you giving up before you've even started to fight?" Lyssa brought her hands up to hold his, pulling them down from her cheeks and looking him in the eyes.

"The Siren." He squeezed her hands tight before loosening his hold, though she refused to let go, staring at him with wide eyes. "I told you before, that there were some people the Siren must never meet. I'm one of them. The Master has been continuously striving to bring us together, though he hasn't succeeded yet. Now that he has Bria, though, he can do it. He can unleash the Siren, and where she is, I must go. And you must not."

"Why?" she said simply.

"Because you're someone else she must never meet. Because you are what she seeks," the Doctor said quietly. "You are what she needs. If she and I meet, the battle for time itself will begin, and I will die. But if she meets you, time itself is lost."

"Die? You're supposed to die, and you're going to go after her anyways?" Lyssa said incredulously, ignoring the other part of his warning. "Why would you go to her? Why don't you run, find a way to stop her?"

"I already have," the Doctor said quietly, stopping her in her tracks. "I have run. I've been running for so long, ever since I looked into the Untempered Schism and saw her, what she was, what she would do. What I must do. But it's time. I have run far enough, and can run no farther. If she awakens, I must be there to stop her. But not you. If she finds you, it will be over my dead body," he swore.

"Which is exactly what she's going to do," Lyssa reminded him vehemently. "You said if you and her meet, you would die."

He nodded solemnly. "I've always known that my death would come at the hand of the Siren. And that I must fight against her for the sake of the universe. But I will kneel before Rassilon himself before I let her reach you."

"Because the fate of the universe and time rest upon it?" Lyssa asked, searching his eyes, confused when he shook his head.

"Because _your_ fate rests upon it," he said with emphasis. "Which is exactly why I'm going to ask you to go back to the TARDIS."

"And because your fate rests upon this, and you're apparently determined to go after her anyways, that is exactly why I'm not going to leave you," Lyssa declared adamantly. "I'm stuck to your timeline for a reason, Doctor, and I'm pretty sure it's not to abandon you when there's a chance you might die. In fact, if I recall correctly, that's already happened several times for us, and we've been able to get through it together."

The Doctor shook his head. "This is the farthest you've ever jumped, Lyssa," he told her quietly. "You've never jumped farther than this, and I think that this is why. This is the end of the line for me. But it doesn't have to be for you. It can't be. Go back to the TARDIS, and let me do this."

"And I'm with you to the end of the line," Lyssa informed him smartly. "And it doesn't have to be the end. Maybe it just means that I've jumped past that point, and never told you about it. I'm pretty good at keeping secrets, you know."

"Lyssa." The Doctor gripped her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I've seen it. Your timeline is intertwined with mine, and both of them end at this point. You're not there yet. You still have so much to do. But I am. This is where I have to take a stand. This is where I have to do what I promised to do so long ago. To live up to my name, to be a Doctor. And right now, Bria's in danger. The universe is in danger. You are in danger. Which means I have to do my best to save you all."

"So let me do that with you," Lyssa insisted. "You said it earlier. The Doctor and his fairy-girl, against the universe. And you said that Bria's needed to help unleash the Siren for some reason. Well, the Siren's not here yet, so Bria's still safe, right? We need to go after her. If we can rescue her, we can stop the Siren from being unleashed."

The Doctor shook his head. "Lyssa... do you know what created the Siren? Tainted innocence. Bria has all the innocence of a child. That combined with the awful lifestyle she's had to live, and the fact that she's now in the hands of the Master? The Master will use her to unleash the Siren. It's already too late. I'm just hoping to save Bria from her. Or whatever will be left of her. It's too late to stop the Siren from being created - her presence in history means that she will be created. We just haven't met until now."

Lyssa swallowed hard. "But you don't have to go find her," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "You don't have to go die. The universe has asked so much of you. Can't it be wrong, just this once?"

He sighed heavily. "Lyssa..." He released her and stepped away, beginning to pace. "Don't you think I've looked for a way out? I'm over two thousand years old. Two thousand years of running. Two thousand years of searching. And it ends here. With me, saving the universe one last time. I hope."

"But why won't you let me stay with you?" she demanded. "I jumped here to this you. And you've said that I'm too young - meaning you've seen me when I'm older. Which means that I survive this. And if I can survive this, so can you."

The Doctor stopped and looked at her sorrowfully. "Lyssa, you will be with me. But not this you. An older you, who's been through it all with me. You've barely begun here, Lyssa, and I'm not going to let you fall with me. So, please. Go back to the TARDIS. I need to know that you're safe."

She crossed her arms stubbornly. "Well, you'll definitely be able to make sure that I'm safe when I'm right here with you. Because you're completely bonkers if you think that I'm going to let you face the Siren alone."

His face fell. "I was afraid you'd say that. And I'm sorry."

She snorted. "Sorry for what? That I care about you enough not to leave you when you're in trouble - again? Because that's what friends do, Doctor."

He shook his head, crossing over to stand in front of her. "No. I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." And before she could react, he'd reached into his pocket, pulled out the small red object she'd seen earlier, and placed it on her forehead. It sent out a small burning sensation and she cried out, her hands flying to her forehead as she tried to peel it off. He took her hands in his and pulled her to his chest, wrapping her up tight in his arms as she sagged against him.

He picked her up in his arms, looking down at her limp form. "Because in those two thousand years, I've also learned how to control the time in you, at least partially. Which means that I can send you far away from here. To a Doctor that you can help, to a Doctor that you can save from the darkness." He swallowed hard as he carried her out of the room, slowly making his way out of the house. "Because you know what else I've learned? You didn't come here to save me from the universe, no matter what you might think. You've come to save me from myself.

"So here's me, right now. Saving you from saving me. I think you'll be rather cross with me when you wake up. And I'll deserve it. But you'll be alive to be cross, alive to wake up. And that's better than the alternative," he whispered as he caught sight of the TARDIS in the distance. "I can't save your future self, because you're not here yet. But if you think I'm going to lose you again, you're wrong, fairy-girl. I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you alive."

He glanced up at the TARDIS as he approached, stopping outside the closed doors. "I know you're mad at me. And rightfully so. But you also know that I have to do it. It's the only way she's going to leave. And she can't be there when I meet the Siren. You know that. But you also know what she is to us. So please, let me in. I have to do this."

He waited in silence as the ship almost seemed to deliberate, before the lock opened with an audible click, and the door slowly opened to reveal the console room. He nodded his thanks as he entered the TARDIS, making sure to shut the door after him, and laid Lyssa gently down on the floor, her hair splaying out around her. He crouched beside her still form for a moment, kissing her once on the forehead before going to the console and twisting a knob. He watched silently as her body began to glow along with the rotor, spreading throughout her body as she began to disappear.

He waited until she was completely gone to let his exterior break, closing his eyes and letting a tear fall from beneath his lid. "Goodbye, my fairy-girl," he whispered to the empty room as he entered in his new destination. "I'm sorry. But I love you too much to lose you."

* * *

 **A/N: So, I think we can all agree that nothing important happened in this chapter, right? This definitely isn't me hinting at what's going to happen in the very last chapters I have planned for this entire story. (Hint: I've planned lots of sadness. Like, Infinity War levels of sadness - which I just watched, and it was awesome - what parts of it I could see through my tears, at any rate.) Don't worry, though. It will be quite a while before we reach the end. By a conservative estimate on my part, there will probably be over a hundred chapters before we reach the ending for this story alone, not considering the sequel.**

 **Also, yes. This chapter was mostly info. But, to help balance it out, there should be a fair bit of action next chapter, considering where Lyssa ends up. *evil laughter***

 **And yeah. The Doctor is being all vague, and mysterious, and a little bit heavy-handed here, forcibly sending Lyssa away. Or trying to, at any rate. But hey, at least he confessed his love to her. Well, not to her, exactly, but he came close! Fun fact: Originally, I was going to have him confess his love to her this chapter. And give her a very important gift. But, I decided not to do it. It didn't mesh well enough. So instead, we get a partial confession - just like Bad Wolf Bay. Doesn't that make you feel great. :D**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to ZaraSwann, Fakira, Hehe, Guest, gabumon7, afionna262, V, and Mermaid1108 for reviewing! You guys are all awesome!**

 ** _ZaraSwann: Yep. It's him. :D And don't feel too bad - I didn't make it obvious til the end. And thanks! I'm glad to hear you liked it! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)_**

 ** _Fakira: Sometimes, we just have to look on the bright side - least we've still got something. ;D And the Doctor has given her several very important hints, both last chapter and here. And, as we can see by the end, he's given up on hints and gone straight for the bluntness. Too bad she just wasn't around to hear it. :D And for Scott, it's a work in progress. I'm sure he'll work it out to be purple guy eventually. :D I'm really glad to hear that you like this story so much. And a miracle has happened - I'm getting this chapter out, and it's still Saturday! *shocked gasp* Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 ** _Hehe: *sneaky grin* I try. Hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Guest: Eh, sort of. From his perspective, he needed to get her back, and, well, why not traumatize Lyssa and the Doctor while he's at it. As for Bria... we'll find out what happened sooner or later. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _gabumon7: And even more ominous writings in this chapter! Because I'm evil like that. :D More info on the Siren here, but I feel the need to remind you... this is all from Lyssa's perspective. Which means that if she's given flawed info, so are you... *evil laughter* Of course, given everything I've mentioned on the Siren so far, it'd be kind of hard for me to fake the fact that she's actually good, and not evil. Because she's not good. Not for the Doctor, at least... Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _afionna262: Aww, thank you so much! It always makes me so happy when I hear that people are continuing to enjoy my story. :) Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter! :)_**

 ** _V: :D I look forward to seeing your reaction to this chapter. ;)_**

 ** _Mermaid1108: Haha, that's awesome! I'm glad to see that you like it! Especially enough to binge read it. :) Thank you so much for your awesome review, and I hope you like this chapter! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :) (If you were able to stand all my vague foreshadowing and gloomy prophesying)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa, Bria, and the Siren... *Laughs mysteriously at future plot point none of you get right now***


	39. Chapter 39 - The Lonely Survivor

_The Twelfth Doctor sighed heavily as he stepped out of the TARDIS, careful to lock it behind him and hide the key once more. It was quiet, where he landed. Darkness lay over the land, and a chill fog hid parts of the landscape as it blew in the wind. The only sign of life was a small light flickering in the distance._

 _It was there that the Doctor traveled, his hands in his pockets and his head held high, a nonchalant, almost bored expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed, though, and she could see the forced calm in his expression as she seemed to float along behind him, a silent spectator - though to what, she didn't know._

 _As he got closer, she could make out two figures standing by the light. One was the Master, a smirk on his face and something small and metallic in his hand. The other was hidden from her, a hood covering their face as they crouched by his feet. The Doctor strolled closer, his shoulders tightening ever so slightly as he drew one of his hands out of his pocket, the small locket she'd found earlier dangling from his hand._

 _"I see you found my message," the Master called cheekily. "Did you like it? I left it just for you."_

 _The Doctor regarded him coldly, fury burning in his eyes. "Let her go, Master. She has no part in this, and what you've done to her is both cruel and illegal. She'll burn up before long if you don't stop this. Just let her go."_

 _"I'm afraid I can't do that, dear Doctor," the Master pouted. "I'd say I was_ _sorry to disappoint you. Except - I'm not. If it's any consolation, I don't believe she remembers much of anything right now. Including the way she screamed. You see, Bria's dead. There's no coming back for her." He chuckled darkly, then looked around, feigning surprise. "Except - where's Alyssa? Surely she would have insisted upon being here with you, at the end."_

 _"She did," the Doctor said simply, eyes fixed on the hooded figure. "I sent her away."_

 _The Master raised his eyebrows. "To protect her, I suppose? How noble of you. Then again, that always was your sort of thing, I suppose. Helping the weak and defenseless," he sneered._

 _"Except my fairy-girl's not weak or defenseless," the Doctor suddenly smirked, flipping the locket over idly in his hands. "I would have thought you'd know that by now. Tell me, do you still have the scar?"_

 _The Master glared at him, shifting slightly. "I still have her," he retorted at last, glancing down at the figure by his feet. "And there's no getting out of it this time, Doctor. You know that."_

 _All hints of humor fled the Doctor's face. "Yes. I do. I knew that as soon as I knew where you were headed. I knew what you had done, and why. And I came anyways."_

 _The Master raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Well then, it seems like you do know everything after all. Except, apparently, who." He nudged the hooded figure with his foot and they slowly got to their feet. "Take off your hood, love. I want the Doctor to see this, and understand what he's done. Let him know who you are."_

 _The figure raised their hands to their head and slipped the hood down. Lyssa couldn't make out their face for some reason, but she caught sight of gold hair before it was blocked by the Doctor as he staggered backwards, a harsh cry escaping his mouth._

 _He stood there in shock, seeming to attempt to come to grips with the situation before he suddenly charged forward, halting abruptly in front of the Master, his eyes burning with a rage she had never seen before._

 _"What is this?" he hissed through clenched teeth. "What have you done?"_

 _"I should think it quite obvious who it is," the Master said calmly, rolling his eyes. "The Siren. Duh. Did you really not know? I mean, I was surprised at first, I'll admit, but once I found out who she was, and why, well. I could hardly turn down the chance to bring chaos to the universe. To time itself. To you. As for what I've done, I think a more accurate question would be, 'what have I undone?'"_

 _"You know what she's supposed to do," the Doctor spat, although his eyes were no longer enraged when they looked at the woman - the Siren? They were heartbroken. "Why would you do this? You know what this means."_

 _The Master shrugged uncaringly. "Why not? There's a saying among the humans, though, that I think might fit the situation here. It's what we love most that destroy us. I mean, maybe you don't love her anymore, but it's the thought that counts, right?"_

 _The Doctor smiled bitterly. "You know that's not true. You know why I have to die if I ever face her."_

 _"And why is that?" The Master leaned forward suddenly, his dark eyes glittering with malice._

 _"The same reason you chose this place to meet," the Doctor said, indicating the forest around them. "I've been here twice before, and both times, I nearly lost everything."_

 _"I know," the Master said gleefully. "Only - the first time you were here, you saw what happened because of what's going to happen now. Does that comfort you? Knowing how it's going to end? That you've already lost everything?"_

 _The Doctor shook his head slowly. "You're missing the point, Master. I fought then, for the same reason that I can't fight now."_

 _"And why is that?"_

 _The Doctor looked the mysterious woman straight in the eyes, a sad, soft expression creeping over her face. "Because I owe her too much to let her die because of me. The only way to stop her is to kill her, and I can't kill her. I won't."_

 _xXx_

Lyssa's eyes flew open as she was suddenly pulled away from the scene, her surroundings quickly melting into the flickering golds and reds of the Time Vortex she was once more floating through. She took a few deep breaths, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. Was that a dream, or had she seen what the Doctor was doing after he sent her away?

And was he really going to die, because he refused to fight whoever the Siren was? Was that why he seemed to have already given up, because he knew he couldn't fight her? And so - what? He was just going to let himself be killed? And he refused to do anything about it, and had even forcibly sent her away!

The thought reminded her, and her hands flew to her forehead, finding a small red jewel in the center of it. She tried to peel it off, but her fingers just slid away from it, only scraping the skin.

She growled in frustration, tears filling her eyes. "Just take me back!" she shouted into the emptiness. "Please! I have to save him. I have to at least try!" When there was no reply - had she really been expecting someone to answer? - she only grew angrier. "Come on! Take me back! If you're going to drag me around his timeline, you could at least let me stay long enough to be of use!"

At first, nothing happened, and she scolded herself for even hoping that something would, that she would be taken back to the Doctor. Except, as she floated along, she noticed something strange, and a little disquieting.

It was getting darker.

The gold and scarlet spirals around her were spinning out, slowly fading away into nothing and leaving only darkness in their place. It was as if time itself was being sucked dry, and she was forced to watch, in growing wariness, as the lights went out. And then it was only her, floating in the darkness.

"What's going on?" she called out hesitantly. "Is - is anyone there? Please, what's going on?" She wrapped her arms tighter around herself for warmth as she suddenly realized the chill that had descended upon her, wishing she wasn't wearing just a T-shirt and jeans. She would have thought that she'd landed, except for the fact that she couldn't feel any ground beneath her feet. Maybe she was in a zero gravity room, or the TARDIS had turned off the gravity again?

"Old girl? Is that you? Have you just turned out the lights this time?" There was no answer, and she fought off another shiver, looking around in the dark, fruitlessly trying to find a landmark - something - anything - that might tell her where she was. "Please, is anyone there? What's going on?" she called louder this time, hoping that there would be someone to answer her this time, preferably friendly.

But there was no response to her call. No sign of the TARDIS, no return of the Time Vortex, no hint of where she had landed, or even if she had landed. Nothing. She swallowed hard, her hand creeping up to her necklace and wrapping around her snowflake charm, the charm feeling reassuringly solid in contrast to the chilly emptiness around her. No matter how mad she might be at the Doctor right now, she would take him over this emptiness any day.

"Doctor?" she whispered, feeling silly. "I know you can't hear me right now, but just on the off chance that you can, would you mind, please, just coming and getting me, if you can? I'd really like to get out of here. Please, I know you wanted to keep me safe, but I don't think that this is much better than facing the Master. I don't know what's going on, or where I am. I'm - I'm a little bit scared. Please, just come get me."

She closed her eyes then, not wanting to see the darkness anymore, and preferring to be sightless on her own terms. Clutching the charm tightly, she drew comfort from the memories it held and curled up on herself, trying to shut out the emptiness outside that pulled at her, trying to suck away whatever warmth she had as she floated along for what seemed like hours. And just when she thought she would be in there forever, and that the Doctor had sent her to some awful place by mistake, she saw a golden swirl of light appear in the distance.

A cry of joy escaped her at the sight of something new, at the prospect of being able to get out of here. She uncurled herself as the gold dust spiraled towards her until it came to a stop in front of her. It floated down towards her feet, then spiraled upwards once more, revealing an elegant woman dressed in a golden ball gown, streams of gold flowing from her back in the shape of wings, although they seemed to fall limply down her back. A smile graced her lips as she looked over at Lyssa, though her appearance was faded, as though seen through fog.

"Hello, my child," she said softly, her welcoming voice filling Lyssa with warmth, and seeming to break a barrier in her mind as memories of another encounter poured in. "I see you remember me."

Lyssa nodded slowly, blinking back tears at the wave of pure affection she felt from the fairy-like creature she saw in front of her, stubbornly repressing the sudden urge to ask for a hug. "You were there, before Canary Wharf. You told me I couldn't change anything, or the universe would end. Then you hid my memories and disappeared."

The woman looked sad as she nodded, the graceful gesture almost lost as her faded form blurred slightly. "You were not ready. There are many things I cannot tell you, my darling, lest I do you harm that cannot be fixed."

She floated closer to her and brushed a feather-light finger down her face, cupping her cheek in a hand that seemed almost intangible. "You are stronger now, but still in danger. You are always in danger, and it is because of me. I am sorry for your fears and sorrows, what you must go through." A tear glimmered in her blue eyes, the stars that seemed to exist there shimmering in the liquid.

Lyssa frowned, feeling sorry for the woman despite herself. "But didn't you say that you chose me to do this? That you looked through all the universes until you found me? Why are sorry about that? Did you choose wrongly?"

The fairy smiled through wet eyes. "No. We chose right. You were the only one in a hundred, thousand universes who could have borne the pure time stream without being corrupted by it. You were the only one whose soul matched my thief's, the only one who could give him what he needs. And it was he and you, who at the end of time, will stand strong together against our foe and defeat him."

Lyssa hesitated as another memory came to mind. "Except, I think it was the end of time, and he sent me away. That's why I'm here now. I didn't jump, he knocked me out and dropped me into the Time Vortex," she explained unhappily, crossing her arms. "I wanted to help, and he wouldn't let me."

The woman - Tirdis, she suddenly recalled - nodded somberly. "And he was right to do so." She held up a hand when Lyssa opened her mouth to protest. "Please, hear me out, my child. My thief was at the end of his journey with you. You have barely begun. You are not ready to fight, not prepared to give up what needs to be sacrificed to face our foe. You _will_ stand beside him and fight, but not today. There is something else that you must do first, something that you must learn, that is far more important than being willing to fight in a war."

"And what's that?" Lyssa asked cautiously.

Tirdis smiled sadly. "The cost of it. Every battle has its sacrifices, every victory has its price. No one escapes unscathed, but it is those at the front line who always pay the most. You must learn to heal before you can hurt. Everyone must make a sacrifice if we are to face the darkness, but there are two people from whom the cost is so much greater. And until you can pay it, you cannot face it." Her form flickered slightly, becoming translucent.

"Tirdis? What's wrong? Why are you going all pale like that?" Lyssa worried, trying to step closer to the woman. "What's happening?"

Tirdis looked down at her translucent arms, stretching them out in front of her and gazing at them with an expression of resignation. "This is my cost. To interact with the physical world, on whatever level, leaves me weakened until I can heal."

"Then why are you here with me?" Lyssa demanded. "Go back to the TARDIS, or, become the TARDIS again, or whatever it is you do. If this is hurting you, you need to leave!"

"This isn't quite the physical world, dear one," Tirdis reminded her. "We are in the Time Vortex. This is my home. Or it was. Before he came, and banished us to our current state." She held out a hand and a spiral of dancing gold appeared above it, flowing up and away from her hand, before it seemed to reach an invisible wall and vanished in a shower of gold. "You and I are safe here, because we are creatures of time. I am its protector, and you are my child."

She sighed, lowering her hand once more. "But outside the Vortex, he is the stronger, and I the weaker. He is a servant of darkness, and it is far easier to create dark, than to create light. The Master is one of his favored servants, and I had to fight fiercely to send you what you needed to get through his tricks, even though it was merely words on his ring."

"What? Wait, no, that was you?" Lyssa asked with wide eyes, recalling the three words she'd seen on the Doctor's ring that had given her the determination to go back into the restaurant, and thus enabled her to find the Doctor. "But I thought he said the only person who could do something wasn't capable of coming there yet. Not without - "

"Great cost to myself, yes," Tirdis finished, tired amusement on her face. "He never did quite understand who I was. Not through any fault of his own, of course. But that's beside the point. It was I who sent you to the Doctor then, and it is I who am sending you to the Doctor now. I am weak, and need to recover, because the time of battle is upon me. But you, you have a much more important task."

"And what's that?" Lyssa asked cautiously.

Tirdis smiled gently. "Helping a broken man put himself back together. You might say it's one of the most important things you could ever do. Show him he is loved, my daughter, and always remember that you are loved. Because that is the only way to conquer hatred of any kind."

Ignoring Lyssa's questions and protests, she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, just above the scarlet stone that resided there, and she blinked as she felt it slowly dissolve away until her forehead was bare again.

A warmth began to spiral away from the spot as the woman herself faded even more, barely an outline until she vanished into a shower of gold sparkles. In the blink of an eye, Lyssa was alone again, but it didn't last long as she was suddenly pulled backwards, her vision blurring as gold washed over it.

When everything became clear once more, she was in a hallway in the TARDIS, the lights dimmed. Everything was a dull metallic gold color, and seemed faded and worn.

Definitely Nine or Ten, then, she surmised, picking a direction and walking down it. And judging by the positively gloomy atmosphere, it was probably at some point where he didn't have a companion, and was dealing with a loss of some kind. Unfortunately for her, and him, there were multiple different possibilities.

Evidently that was what Tirdis had meant when she'd told her she needed to help him. He'd be lonely and hurting, and she needed to be there for him. Her hand flew to her snowflake charm, and she clutched it protectively as she walked.

The Doctor had told her that it meant he'd always be her friend, no matter what, but friendship goes two ways. And whether or not it was something she "needed to learn" or whatever, she'd be there for him too. He'd been there for her after Canary Wharf, and it was time for her to return the favor.

Except, she was growing more and more concerned as she walked. She'd never seen the TARDIS in this state of darkness, of loneliness, in the episodes or in her time here. The only times that might even come close were either after he'd lost the Ponds, when he thought he'd lost everyone, including Donna, or right after he found Rose, when he was still recovering from the Time War all by himself. She resolved then and there that if she jumped to that time, she'd do her best to be there for him, no matter what. Even if he didn't know her yet, she'd do her best to help him.

She halted as she rounded a corner and heard an echoing shout, followed by a clang. She hesitated, then remembered that she was about as safe as she could get on the TARDIS, no matter who was here, and hurried towards the sound. Another shout, this time filled with incomprehensible words and a pain that brought tears to her eyes just listening to it, made her run even faster. That shout had been the Doctor's.

She slowed down as she recognized the approach to the console room, and the words slowly translated to English, the voice sounding broken and angry.

"Tell me, why shouldn't I? What have I got left to lose?" the Ninth Doctor's voice echoed back to her. "Nothing! That's what! I've got nothing left to lose." His voice slowed, becoming emptier and sadder. "I've lost everything, and everyone. I've lost my planet, my family, my friends. I've lost her." His voice cracked on the last word. "So tell me, why shouldn't I just open the doors and stroll on out of here? Who'd miss me if I'm gone? There's no one here to miss me, because I killed them all!"

Lyssa couldn't just stand there and listen anymore, and ran the rest of the way through the hallway and into the console room, her footsteps clattering on the grating as she darted down the stairs.

"I would! I'd miss you!" burst out as she ran towards the stooped over figure by the doors.

He straightened when he heard her, and swung around in shock, his blue eyes wide as they focused on her. "Lyssa?" She nodded rapidly, not expecting the scowl to appear on his face, nor the hurt in his eyes as he turned away with a heavy sigh. "Go away. I already told you not to do that," he muttered, placing a hand on one of the pillars near the door.

She faltered, slowing to a stop. "What? I don't - I don't understand. Doctor?" He flinched at the name. "Doctor? Are you all right?"

He laughed bitterly. "All right. How could I possibly be all right?" He shook his head. "You know that. Why are you here? What are you tryin' to do that could possibly make this better?" He swung back around to face her, eyes bright with tears.

"Because if you're tryin' to make things better, I will tell you right now that _that_ ," he gestured at her, "is the worst possible way to go about it." He hung his head down and sighed, closing his eyes wearily. "It just makes the pain worse. Go away. Please."

She furrowed her brow in confusion, but shook her head, refusing to leave him alone when he was practically radiating pain and desperation. "Not when you're hurting like this, Doctor," she told him, frowning when he flinched again at the name. "What's wrong?"

He seemed to snap suddenly, rearing back and punching the pillar so hard a crack appeared in it as he turned around once more to face her, causing Lyssa to instinctively step backwards at the sudden movement. "I'm not the Doctor!" he shouted, his face twisting. "And you're not Lyssa. So stop pretendin' to be!"

He lost his fury and retreated back to his empty, broken shell that he was hiding behind. "Neither of us are who we're supposed to be. So just... go away, and let me suffer in peace. I'll stay here, I promise. I won't bother goin' out, not now. I suppose you wouldn't let me," he snorted bitterly.

Lyssa blinked, taken aback. He was clearly more distraught than she'd taken him to be at first. He must have just regenerated after the Time War, the horrors and loss from it fresh in his mind. He looked pale and tired, his eyes red and heavy with dark bags underneath them. But he clearly recognized her - and yet didn't think she was who she was? Who else would she be?

"Who do you think I am?" she asked softly, mindful not to call him by his name this time since it seemed to upset him so much.

He huffed, glaring down at the floor. "I don't think, I know. You've done this before, tryin' to snap me out of it. You're the TARDIS' voice interface, and for the last time, I didn't ask for your help!"

Her mouth formed a silent 'oh' of comprehension. He didn't even think she was real, he thought she was just a hologram activated by the TARDIS. No wonder he was angry. To him, he was still alone, and the TARDIS wasn't helping.

"Sometimes we don't need to ask for help, and we get it anyways," she told him quietly, walking slowly towards him, making sure to let her footsteps sound as she moved. "Because if we always waited until people asked, there are people out there, very important, hurting people, who might never get helped. And sometimes, they don't get helped anyways. But you've always tried to help them. And now, it's our turn to return the favor."

He glanced up at her, grief written across his face as he shook his head. "I told you, I don't want your help. I don't deserve it."

"Does anyone?" she mused, lifting a hand to him.

He backed away, flinching. "Don't! I couldn't - you're not real!" he said desperately. "You're just a hologram, no touch. You can't do that, remember? If I were to swipe a hand through you, you'd disappear."

"But you wouldn't do that, would you?" she regarded him compassionately. "Because if I were here, and I were real, and you were to hit me, you might hurt me. And you would never do that. You'd never risk hurting me, even at your lowest point. And I am here. I'm real. Just take my hand and see," she offered, holding her hand out to him again.

He shook his head, swallowing hard. "I'm _at_ my lowest point," he reminded her. "I didn't just hurt someone, I killed billions of innocent men, women and children. Including you. You're dead, Lyssa!" he told her harshly. "I killed everyone, and my punishment is to survive, knowing what I've done."

He turned away from her and collapsed to the ground, burying his face in his hands. "I killed them all. I killed _her_. It's my fault, all my fault." He laid his palms open on his lap and turned his head up to her, tear tracks staining his face. "I killed _you_. Your blood, everyone's blood, is on my hands."

She felt a few tears of her own slip down her face at his pain, wondering how she could help him when he refused to let her even try. "Except it's not," she told him gently. "Look." Holding out her hands, she laid them bare for him to see.

"Here are my hands, and my blood, still flowing through my veins. I'm right here, in front of you. Alive and well, because of you. You didn't kill me, Doctor, you saved me." She glanced down when he winced once more at the name, but refused to give up, trying to maintain eye contact with him.

"Saved you?" he scoffed, still refusing to take her hands. "I watched you die in front of me! You were there because of me, and you burnt up!" His shoulders slumped and he turned his gaze back to the ground. "And now you're here, and you're talkin' to me, because I'm either hallucinatin' you again, or the TARDIS is tryin' to fix me up when I can't be fixed. And when I touch you, and you're not real, it'll just make it worse. And I can't handle that. Not now."

"Except I am real, and I'm right here, if you would just touch me and see!" she tried again. "I'm alive, and completely fine, but I'm worried about you! So's the TARDIS, she told me you would need my help."

He shook his head. "Well, you're not the voice interface, I know that much now." He looked at her, his eyes heavy and sad. "Which means I'm just hallucinatin' you again. Or dreamin'. But there's no screamin' or burnin', so I can't be dreamin'."

"Well, if you are, then I am too," Lyssa insisted, holding her hand out for him one more time. "And it must be a good dream, because you're here with me, and I'm here with you. 'Cause you're my best friend," she informed him, indicating her necklace with her free hand.

His eyes widened at the sight of her necklace, and suddenly he seemed to be alive again, jolting upright and running his eyes over her desperately. "Lyssa?" he said pleadingly, his hand hovering just above the blue gem centered in her snowflake charm.

She smiled softly at him. "I'm here," she promised him, bringing her hand back into view. "Are you ready? Because I will wait for you, if you need it."

A tear slipped out of one of his eyes and down his cheek. "Are you really here?" he asked one last time.

She blinked back tears of her own. "Why don't you find out?" she offered.

His hand hovered over hers for a moment, trembling, before slowly descending as the tip of his finger lightly brushed against her palm. He froze, as if afraid to move, before his whole hand slowly spread out to cover hers, his larger fingers clasping hers gently before she was pulled into a crushing hug, his head buried in her hair as he wept. Amidst the tears, she managed to make out one sentence that made her own tears fall as she returned the hug wholeheartedly.

"I'm not alone anymore."

* * *

 **A/N: And yes, both Nine and Twelve are acting kind of out of character, I know. But Nine just came from the Time War, and Twelve clearly has a few heartbreaking issues of his own to deal with. And the way I see it, people can act a little differently when they've given up all hope. Hope everyone's okay with that. ;)**

 **Anyone left unconfused by the conversation with Tirdis? No? Good. ;D It was supposed to be confusing. And weird. For future plot purposes.**

 **Anyone ready for Nine/Lyssa fluff next chapter? Cause it's coming! :D**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to TheProtectorOfHim, gabumon7, Guest (are you V? You sound like V, lol), Mermaid1108, and Fakira for reviewing! :D**

 ** _TheProtectorOfHim: Life's going pretty good so far, people seem to be liking my story, so that's great! :D How's your life been?_**

 ** _gabumon7: For 12, yeah, it is, a bit. But in his defense, he's torn between getting to the Master as soon as possible, and getting Lyssa as far away from the Master as possible. And like I said earlier, from his perspective, it's literally the end of the world, so to speak. And, you know, there's also the fact that I have the hardest time writing his awesome Scottish self. *sigh* Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like this chapter! :D_**

 ** _Guest (V in disguise?): Is it bad that I'm laughing at your pain? Cause, uh... I laughed at your review. Multiple times. There may or may not have been evil laughter involved as well. *whistles innocently* At least this chapter ended with the Doctor being saved. (Sort of). Oh wait. You meant the Twelfth Doctor was the one who was supposed to have a happy ending? Uh... oops? *promises lots of fluff to come to make up for it, but promises nothing about the ending* Thanks for a hilarious review, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 ** _Mermaid1108: Hahaha, um... oops? (Infinity War was awesome, in a heartbreaking sort of way.) Hope this helps some of the emotional damage I've apparently inflicted? As for your predictions...  
1) The Doctor and Lyssa will end up married. At some point, not saying when or how. But I think I've been clear from the start that they will end up together. As for Lake Silencio... well, you'll just have to wait and see... *evil laughter* Also, it might not necessarily be her who does something stupid, just fyi *more evil laughter*  
2) The Man and Woman in Doomsday are definitely not Lyssa and the Doctor's kids, you got that right! And they do technically have something to do with the Ranger (he's the dude from Flatline). *sneaky laughter* Congratulations. I think you've probably got the closest guess so far. :D  
3) *Stops evil laughter abruptly* What? You think I would laugh at your pain? *Ignores reply to previous review where I admit to laughing at your pain* I'm offended! There's definitely no chapters coming up where you would need tissues, nope, nuh-uh. Thanks for a great review, and I'm glad you liked it! Hope you liked this one! :D_**

 ** _Fakira: No worries about commenting late, I usually end up posting late, so... I can't exactly complain, lol. And it just made for a nice surprise today! I'm glad to hear you liked it. And don't worry about the Infinity War levels of sadness... it'll be quite a while til we reach that point, so I suppose you'll have plenty of time to get used to emotional pain. *Reads back what I just wrote* I mean, uh... there'll be fluff next chapter! Ready for Nine/Lyssa fluff? And lots of it? Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa (and, technically, Tirdis).**


	40. Chapter 40 - Beginning to Heal

She didn't know how long they were in that position, her wrapped up tight in his arms like she might disappear at any minute, but if the soreness in her feet meant anything, it had probably been a while. His sobs had tapered off a while ago, and now he was just clutching her as if she were the only thing holding him together, his whole body shuddering every so often.

She rubbed his back soothingly, wishing she could take some of his pain away as she tried not to yawn. They had been in that horrible building overnight, which meant she hadn't slept for over twenty-four hours at least. But judging by his looks, he hadn't slept for days, if not longer.

Unfortunately, she couldn't tell him about saving Gallifrey, not without changing the timeline too much. So much of what he'd done had come about as a result of what he believed; that he was the last one, that Gallifrey was gone. It was horrible, but she couldn't rewrite time like that - not to that extent, not now. And it would only hurt if she brought it up, so she would have to be careful with what she said right now. He was too fresh from war, even if he had literally just come from saving Gallifrey as well.

"Doctor?" she said softly, trying to get a look at his face but failing.

"Don't call me that. Please." He slowly pulled away from her shoulder, but dropped his hand down to hers. She almost flinched at the blazing heat that started from her hand before spreading through her body, a clear indication of his emotional state. He noticed it as well, his eyes dropping to her hand before shifting slightly away from her. "I don't deserve it, not anymore."

"Then what should I call you?" she asked quietly, curling her fingers around his.

He shook his head, the movement so slight it was almost lost. "I don't know. I don't even know who I am anymore, I don't know who I should be. Who I am, is not who I was. I lost everythin' in the war. Includin' myself."

Lyssa blinked back tears, but forced a smile. "Well, then, it's a good thing that I used to be quite good at Hide and Seek, now, isn't it? And I must warn you," she said lightly, "I don't give up. Used to drive all the other kids nuts, because I'd refuse to give up until I found everyone."

He didn't smile - she was afraid she wouldn't see one of his bright smiles for a very long time - just looked her in the eyes, now redder than before. "Maybe some things were meant to stay lost," he muttered. "Maybe it's better that way. Maybe it was somethin' terrible that was lost, and should never be found again."

She returned his gaze steadily. "And maybe it was something brilliant, and beautiful, and amazing, and _good_. Not lost, just... hiding. Something so brilliant, and bright, and noble that it couldn't bear the darkness of the universe and hid itself, waiting for the darkness to pass."

"What if it was the darkness?" he countered, his eyes never leaving hers, as if waiting for her to pass judgement on him, and leave him to his anguish alone. "A darkness that did a terrible deed that left the universe in shock and horror, and it was so awful that even the light hid from it, that even the darkness hated itself?"

"And what if it wasn't?" she returned, refusing to judge him like he feared, like he expected. "What if it was the only option he had available to him, the only way he could stop the madness and slaughter of innocents -"

"By slaughterin' everyone?" he interrupted bitterly, his face twisting.

She regarded him sadly, knowing that no matter what she said, he would continue to blame himself until he remembered saving Gallifrey. Didn't mean she would stop trying, though. Instead, she changed the subject, a small idea, that was probably a bit manipulative, but with good intentions, coming to mind.

"No. I'll tell you how, later. For right now, though, I think we both need some rest, and a shower. Because I don't know about you, but I haven't slept for a while, and after the night I had, I desperately need the chance to rest."

He frowned, concern edging out some of the despair and self-hatred on his face. "Did somethin' happen? Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Oh, I'm fine. Physically, at least. Just exhausted. We were on the run all night." Her face twisted, remembering how she had actually spent most of the night. "Or I was, at least." She shuddered. "That was not fun."

"What happened? You said you're fine physically. What about emotionally?" he asked, scanning her as if he could see what had happened on her body.

She gave a wry smile. "Let's just say that you're not the only one who spent a while thinking everyone was dead. It was horrible, and I'll probably have nightmares, but I'm not hurt, I promise. I just need a shower, and some sleep. And so do you, I think." She tugged on his sleeve with her free hand, indicating a hole in the tattered brown sweater. "And possibly some new clothes."

He frowned at her, seeming to have much more energy now that he was focused on her. "You bit your lip so hard it bled. Your eyes are swollen, and you look exhausted." He glanced down and caught sight of something on her hand. "And - is that blood on your hand?"

She glanced down at the rusty-colored liquid dried on her palm and paled, closing her eyes at the sight and looking away, feeling a rush of nausea again as the memories came running back. "I don't - I don't think so," she stammered, swallowing hard. "It was just made to look like it, I think. Which is one of the reasons why I said we both need a shower and some sleep, and then maybe go somewhere calm and relaxing," she continued before he could say anything. "I'll tell you later, after we've had the chance to put things behind us a little. How 'bout that?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, forgetting his sadness for a moment as he worried about her - as she knew he would, focusing his thoughts on something besides what had happened - before sighing, his shoulders falling. "I don't think I can leave the TARDIS, Lyssa," he admitted quietly, as if ashamed to say so. "I'm not ready to."

She snorted. "I don't want to leave the TARDIS either. I feel safer here than out there. You're here."

"I'm not the safest person to be around," he muttered, dropping her hand from his and drawing in on himself. "Especially for you."

"On the contrary, I'm safest when you're around," she retorted. "And I'll prove it, after we shower."

"You're quite insistent that I shower," he muttered, although he let her take his hand again - relaxing at the action - and tug him into the hallway.

"There's a reason for that," she informed him smartly. "We both need to talk, and it's best to do it when we can relax. And sleep. Now hold on, I think the TARDIS is changing the hallways because she's awesome like that. And if she is, then your room should be right about... here!" she announced triumphantly, stopping outside a dark stained door that had the familiar Gallifreyan circular symbols carved into it. "This is your room, right?"

He nodded, staring at the door with an intensity that surprised her. "Doc - uh, what's wrong?" she asked, faltering when she remembered his previous response to the name.

"I'm not goin' in there," he muttered. "I can't." His eyes shot to hers, pleading silently for her to understand.

She didn't, but that didn't mean that she would willingly cause him more pain. She squeezed his hand comfortingly. "It's all right. We don't have to - I just thought that you might want to shower in there. I'm sure there are plenty more in the TARDIS. Do you want to go in to grab your clothes?" He shook his head mutely. "Do you want to go down to the wardrobe room and find something?" He shook his head again. "All right. Um... do you want me to go in to grab your clothes?" she tried.

He hesitated, seeming to think about it before nodding. "She'll put the clothes on the bed," he said at last. "And she should block out anything that might come as a spoiler to you."

She nodded, although she was uncertain what exactly there would be in his bedroom that could possibly be a spoiler to her. Maybe pictures, like in her room? Whatever the case, she wouldn't pry, as it was clearly painful enough just standing outside his room for some reason. "Is it locked?"

He nodded. "But it should let you in," he said quietly, dropping her hand with some reluctance. "Leave the door open. Please. So I can see you."

She agreed with some doubt, placing a hand on the doorknob hesitantly. To her surprise, it opened easily, revealing a darkened bedroom. She placed a hand along the wall and fumbled for the light switch, blinking when it turned on. It was a large room, filled with a bookcase and a desk, and a cushiony love seat; and absolutely immaculate. Not a speck of dust, not a single piece of clothing on the floor. The bed looked like it had just come from the store, large, with a deep red quilt spread over it, and a small stack of clothes and towels piled on top.

Not wanting to snoop when he wasn't even in there, she hurried over to the bed, gathering up the clothes in her arms. She couldn't help but see some of the decorations on the wall and bookshelf were completely blurred out. One that was clearly visible, though, was a picture - painting, really - and almost made her drop her bundle in surprise.

It was a painting of her, dressed in simple clothes, with a look of surprise on her face. She had a hand stretched out to the artist, as if asking for a hand to hold, and was covered in gold. Literally. Her eyes shone with the glow of the Time Vortex, and it spiraled through her hair and around her hands and flew behind her, almost giving her the appearance of having wings as she seemed to hover above the ground.

Or the floor of the TARDIS, as it seemed, although she'd never seen it with this appearance before. Four metal latticework pillars surrounded the console, which emitted a deep blue glow, although that was all she could see, most of the painting taken up by the rendition of her. The artist seemed to be trying to convey this ethereal quality to her, granting her a beauty she didn't actually possess.

She gave a start, remembering where she was, and shook her head, pushing the image out of her mind and scurrying back to the door, where the Doctor was waiting impatiently for her with his arms crossed. He visibly relaxed when she returned and shut the door behind her, although he looked even more tired than before.

"I got the clothes," she said sheepishly, raising the pile to show him. "Do you know of somewhere you can shower?"

He nodded, turning and making a few twists and turns until he stopped outside a door across from her bedroom that had never been there before, looking surprised as well. "TARDIS must've moved it," he muttered, glancing at her door and swallowing hard before deliberately brushing his hand against hers.

"Well, this way we can both take our showers at once and get them out of the way," she said brightly, trying to pretend that she wasn't worried at all as she handed him the stack. "You can just come wait in my room if you get done first. My hair alone will probably take me a while to manage. Then... we'll figure something out from there. But this is a good place to start, right?"

"You'll - still be here when I get out?" he asked hesitantly, watching as she crossed over to her door.

She swallowed hard. "I should be," she promised. "I just got here, and typically it's at least a day or two before I jump again. Usually more. And uh, I think I'll be here for a while. Hope that's okay." He didn't say anything, just nodded, watching her with some faint surprise as she opened her door and walked in, before going into the opposite door to start his own shower, head bowed.

Lyssa left her bedroom door open slightly so it didn't accidentally lock him out, before heading to her closet and picking out the softest pair of pajamas she could find, feeling both happy at the memory of the Tenth Doctor picking them out for her a month ago, and grimacing at the memory of why he'd needed to do so.

Forcing herself to focus on the present, and the man who needed her, she went into her bathroom and undressed, slipping into the shower and letting the hot water run over her, washing away the aches of the day.

As she scrubbed at her body, willing the faint stain on her palm to disappear - which it didn't, most likely a deliberate gift from the Master - she tried to think about where to go from here. He desperately needed sleep. That was the best place to start. But he refused to sleep in his bedroom, and would doubtless do the same for any of the guest bedrooms that the TARDIS might have or create. So maybe a bedroom wasn't the place to suggest, and they could just work their way up to it?

So where had he taken her, after Canary Wharf? She nearly dropped her shampoo bottle when she remembered the special room, the one that he had said was just for her and him. The one that she had apparently shown him just after the Time War, that was a place for them to escape to when reality became too tough for them to bear. A little piece of home. She nearly scrubbed conditioner into her eyes when she sped up her movements, suddenly anxious to be out of there.

Hastily rinsing, she stepped out of the shower and toweled off, pulling on her soft pajamas and rubbing her hair with her towel, trying to dry it as she stepped out of the bathroom and into her room. She jumped and almost dropped her towel when she saw him pacing anxiously in her bedroom, swinging around to see her when the bathroom door creaked, not expecting him to have been done that fast.

Dressed in loose sweatpants and a green jumper, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her, hurrying over and pulling her into a hug. "I wasn't sure if you were real or not," he admitted into her shoulder. "I thought I might have just dreamed you up, although I haven't slept long enough to dream in a while. But you're real, you're here."

"I'm here, I promise," she assured him, returning the hug with both hands, relishing the security his arms provided. "I told you I would be."

He stepped back sheepishly, releasing her. "Sorry. I just - I had to be sure."

"It's fine," she said with a smile, crossing over to her dresser and grabbing a brush. Starting to pull it through her hair, she sat down on her bed and gestured for him to do the same. "So, I thought up the perfect peaceful place for us to go after this," she informed him. "And best of all, it's here in the TARDIS. We just need to grab some blankets and stuff to sit on before we go."

He blinked. "Well, that would explain the large basket in the hallway outside your door."

Lyssa snorted. "Looks like the TARDIS was one step ahead of me, as usual. Hang on." She grunted as she tried to work her way through an extra hard knot. "Ugh! Stupid hair," she grumbled, wincing as she tugged on it.

"Do you want me to do it?" he offered, surprising her.

She thought about it for a minute before shrugging and giving in. "Might as well. Can't exactly do much worse than this, and it'll probably be easier for you than it is for me."

He took the brush she proffered him and settled down behind her, pulling several of her locks into one hand and carefully starting to brush them out with the other. He was much gentler than she had been, and had her hair completely brushed out in a matter of a few minutes, braiding it expertly back at her request.

"You must've done this before," she teased when he finished and placed the brush on her bedside table. "There's no way you're this good at it without practicing. My hair is too crazy otherwise."

He didn't respond for a minute, dropping his eyes before simply offering a quiet yes and leaving it at that, leaving her wondering at the tears that had been present in his eyes. She grabbed several of the pillows off her bed before they left, claiming they would help cushion them in the room, although secretly she was hoping he might be able to fall asleep on one of them.

His eyes looked so heavy it seemed a struggle to open them every time. And of course, never one to take the easy route, he kept forcing them to open again. Not that she had much room to talk - the only reason she was still awake was probably a combination of the shower and sheer willpower.

Once he had grabbed the basket in one hand and her hand in the other, they set off down the hallway, her hoping that the TARDIS would be willing to lead them to the right place. If the Doctor recognized where they were going, or had no clue what was going on, he gave no sign of either, simply following her along quietly.

"Come on, old girl," Lyssa pleaded under her breath, following the hallways down each twist and turn, noticing that there was never any open ended turns where you could go one of several ways. "We both need this." She turned down the last hallway, recognizing the door a few yards down and grinned in triumph. "Yes! Here we go!" she informed him, some of her happiness dimming a little when he remained unmoved, feeling a little flutter of worry appear in her stomach.

"So, um, you showed me this place about a month ago for me, when we'd just gone through something awful, and I needed an escape. This is something that's just for you and me," she said quietly. "Um... and can you please close your eyes?"

The look of panic on his face was unpleasant, but not wholly unexpected, not anymore. Not when he'd repeatedly mentioned his fears of her not being real. "I'll still be right here, I promise, I just want this to be a happy surprise for you. Just for a minute while I bring you in, okay?"

He didn't look happy about it, but he eventually gave in and closed his eyes, squeezing her hand tighter in compensation. Relieved, she kept up some mindless conversation in a soothing tone as she opened the door, pulled him inside, then shut it behind them, pulling the basket from his hands and setting it on the ground.

"You can look now," she said nervously, eyes fixed on him as she waited for his reaction. It wasn't quite what she had been expecting. He opened his eyes then staggered back, a look of shock on his face and tears filling his eyes. "Doc -uh, do you not like it? Is it too soon? Oh, it's too soon, isn't it? I should have thought of this!" she began to ramble in panic. "You hate it, don't you? Oh, I'm sorry! We can just go to the library, or something, it's quiet there, and we can - oof!"

She dropped the pillows she had been holding onto the ground as he swept her up into a fierce hug, practically crushing her to him. "Lyssa, please. Just - give me a moment," he begged quietly, burying his face in her neck and shedding a few more tears. "I don't - what is this place?" he asked, his voice muffled.

She swallowed, glancing over his shoulder at the meadows of red grass waving in the faint wind, trees practically glowing with their silver leaves, snow glistening on the distant mountaintops, and two suns set low in the red sky. "This is our home away from home," she told him quietly. "Whatever happens outside doesn't affect what happens in here. This is where we can come when we need an escape, when we need somewhere peaceful to hide from the rest of the universe."

He shook his head and pulled back from her, stifling a yawn and trying to disguise it as a sigh. "How long can we stay here? How long before the image dissipates?"

She blinked. "Dissipates? Image? This is real. It'll stay here as long as we want, and then some."

He shook his head. "No, you can't just recreate images of a place and have them be permanent, not like this. Not on this level, it's too big. They draw too much power for the TARDIS to have operating for too long."

"But, it's not an image," she repeated, confused. "Everything in here is real. The dirt is real, the grass is real," she leaned down and pulled up a piece to show him, twisting it back and forth in her fingers. "And I've only been in here one time, but I'm willing to bet that the trees are real too."

He swallowed hard, taking a few steps forward. "Lyssa... the only way that this could be here, is if it's really from Gal -from there. It's the way the TARDIS was designed. This would've had to have been brought in, or somethin' for her to replicate the mountains further on." He swung around to face her, blinking back tears. "This is from my home."

She smiled and nodded at him, forcing back tears of her own. "I told you. It's our home away from home. And we're gonna stay here as long as it takes," she announced firmly, picking up the pillows in one hand, and the basket in the other and striding further into the room.

"Long as it takes to do what?" he asked cautiously, following her and taking the basket from her hand.

She glanced back at him. "You'll see."

Once they were in a spot she deemed right, flat and padded by grass, she stopped, indicating for him to put down the basket. Once he'd done so, she opened it and pulled out a thick quilt, which she spread across the ground, pulling out two more blankets and setting them off to the side with the pillows before sitting down and gesturing for him to do the same.

"Right. Story time," she announced as he sat down next to her, so close their shoulders were touching and entwining their hands. "Feel free to grab one of the pillows. This might take a while." He just shook his head, leaning his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes tiredly. She smiled to herself. "Right then. This is in no way related to your earlier comment about the darkness being the one that was lost, and my counter that it was the light that was hiding from the darkness."

He opened his eyes and started to sit up, frowning. "Lyssa -"

She hastily shushed him. "Don't interrupt! I'm telling a story. Don't be rude, just relax and listen." He snorted softly, but leaned his head back down on her shoulder and closed his eyes again. "Thank you," she said archly.

"As I was saying, this is just a regular old story about a terribly ordinary girl. An ordinary girl, who was trying to run away from her house, because she couldn't really call it a home, and her mother, who didn't really seem to want to be a mother. And this girl didn't think she was anything special, or that anything special would happen to her, because her life was so miserable and boring that why would it?

"One of the only things that made it better were the stories of a madman and his box, a man who was so kind that he traveled the universe looking for ways to help people. A man who didn't have a weapon, he had a screwdriver, so he could fix things. A man who didn't have a vehicle of war, he had a place where people could go when they needed help. A man who didn't have just one heart, he had two, because one wasn't enough to hold all the kindness and love and mercy he had," she whispered, glancing down at his still form on her shoulder.

He was already asleep, burying his face in her shoulder as best as he could. She smiled softly down at him, bringing a hand up to touch his face, the pain and anguish gone from it as he slept. She moved her hand around to support his head as she shifted it from her shoulder down to her lap, then from there to one of the pillows, tugging a blanket over him. She placed her own pillow next to his, then grabbed her own blanket and curled up next to him, their hands still entwined.

She brought her other hand up to stroke his cheek before dropping it to take his other hand in hers as well, her own eyes drooping. "I know you have nightmares. So do I. We'll probably both have them tonight. But you and I seem to make a pretty good team," she whispered, glancing up at the twinkling stars appearing in the dark sky above them. "So let's take them on together, yeah? You and me, we can do anything together. I always believed in myself because I knew you would. And you did."

She smiled at his sleeping form, her eyes closing as sleep started to overcome her. "You were my favorite story growing up. The madman and his box, the Doctor and his TARDIS off to save the universe." She yawned, her sentence fading to a mumble as she dropped off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: IDK, was this fluffy enough? Probably not. Because there's at least one more chapter before we move back to the episodes. So I can always add more, lol. (And I'm planning on it, no worries. Unfortunately, there's still a long ways to go before we reach Rose - there's still lots of healing to do.)**

 **If any of you noticed something a little bit off, something a tiny bit different about this chapter, you'd be right. It's subtle, but it's a rather sad indication of his perspective right now, so to speak. (Hint: It's even in the author's note.)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to afionna262, Fakira, gabumon7, Guest (1), V, and Guest (2)**

 ** _afionna262: Well, that's great, cause I get excited every time I see you review, lol. It's awesome to hear that you're enjoying it. More Nine/Lyssa on the way. Hope you like it! :D_**

 ** _Fakira: Little bits of fluff sprinkled through, and a good sized dose of it at the end, as ordered. (More is being shipped right now.) And no worries - I completely understand. Glad to hear you're really liking it! I'm looking forward to delving more into their relationship soon. :D Hope you liked it!_**

 ** _gabumon7: Thanks! I thought it made for a nice contrast. Hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Guest (1): Ooh, interesting idea... *immediately brainstorms ways I can bring him in* I will try my hardest to find a way to bring him in... :D_**

 ** _V: *throws detective hat in the air triumphantly* I knew it! You can't hide from me... *creepy grin* Also, great disguise. Although.. Avocado-shaped sunglasses. Huh. Interesting. I mean, I prefer watermelon-shaped myself, but to each their own. And it's always great to hear you love this story, lol. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 ** _Guest (2): Dang it, you're right... Thanks for catching that! I'll try and fix it soon. Hope you enjoy! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	41. Chapter 41 - One Step Forward

When she woke, the two suns were well past the middle of the sky, meaning it had most likely been over twelve hours at the least since they'd both fallen asleep. He was still asleep beside her, his blanket pulled up to his ears, and curled up on himself. Surprisingly, she hadn't had any nightmares last night, although perhaps that was a result of being completely exhausted. He didn't seem to have had any either, as he was in the same spot she had left him in, the tension he had worn the day before leaving his face as he slept.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up, pushing a few loose curls out of her face and blinking in the bright light. It was easy to forget, for a few moments, just what had brought them to their place of solitude as she took in their surroundings. The red grass surrounding their blanket seemed to stretch on for miles, growing up over the mountains in the distance until it was covered by blankets of white snow. The two suns shone down on the area brightly, although there were enough clouds in the sky that they were shaded from too much heat.

In fact, with a calm breeze blowing through the trees and rustling her hair, it was the perfect temperature, and had a calming atmosphere that made her relax just by being there. It seemed to be helping him, too, at least a little bit.

She sighed and leaned back on her hands as she remembered the full issue at hand. Tirdis had sent her here to help him, saying she had to learn the cost of war. She had never been in one, but the Doctor had just come from one that had cost him his whole planet and then some.

But how was she supposed to help him? As much she wanted to, she couldn't understand what that was like. Earth, even though it wasn't technically hers, still existed, along with billions of other humans. She wasn't alone. He was.

The Master was still technically trapped at the end of the universe with the last of the humans, and even if she could get to him, she wouldn't. It would only do more harm, in the end. Not to mention that she would likely have nightmares for a good long while based off of their last encounter.

She reviewed her thoughts and shook her head, mentally revising them. He was alone in that he was the last of the Time Lords. He wasn't alone physically, and wouldn't be for as long as she could stick around. She would be there for him as long as she could, helping in whatever way she could.

Which was likely to not be much, she admitted to herself with a heavy sigh. She didn't have the knowledge or the training to help someone struggling with guilt, depression, and a crushing sense of loneliness. She didn't have the knowledge or training _yet_ , she mentally revised again, making a mental note to stop by the library and try to find something that could offer advice on how to help him.

A soft grunt beside her drew her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see him shifting underneath his blanket, his forehead crinkling as he seemed to struggle with something in his sleep. She leaned forward over him, hand going to his shoulder before stopping and hovering above as she waited uncertainly. For all she knew, it wasn't a nightmare, just a dream, and she didn't want to wake him from what was likely his first restful sleep in a while.

In the end, it didn't matter as he suddenly jerked upright with a gasp, nearly headbutting her before she swung out of the way. He looked around wildly before catching sight of her and relaxing, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Though I was dreamin'," he said, voice thick with exhaustion. "Thought it'd all been a dream, that I was alone again."

She offered up a small smile. "I'm still here," she promised. "And I'll probably be here a while, too," she added, considering that Tirdis had wanted her to be here. "How'd you sleep?"

He blinked, glancing down at the blanket that had slid to his lap. "I - I actually slept, for the first time in... I don't know how long. And I didn't even - there were no nightmares."

Lyssa smiled. "I'm glad. I didn't have any either. Which was strange, but nice. Maybe it's the air in here? Gives you a dreamless sleep, or something."

He shook his head. "'S a normal air composition in here."

Lyssa took her own blanket off her lap and began folding it for lack of something else to do. "Then maybe it's just the peacefulness of this place. There's not anyone out to get us, so we can relax here."

He sent her a look she couldn't interpret. "Or maybe it's the fact that we have each other? Knowin' the other's alive and well? I know you said somethin' yesterday 'bout thinkin' I was dead. I spent over a month thinkin' the same. It's not this place, Lyssa," he said, waving a hand about the area. "Though it's an amazin' gift, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it, it's you."

Lyssa dropped her blanket on the ground and stared at him. "Over a month?" she repeated, blinking back tears. "You thought I was dead - that _everyone_ was dead for over a month? You were alone for that long?"

"Hey, now, there's no need to be gettin' upset about it," he hastened to soothe her, cupping her hands in his. "I'm not goin' to lie and say it wasn't awful, because it was. But you know what? I'm glad you weren't there. Because after the war, I was a wreck." He snorted bitterly. "I still am a wreck. But I was worse then. I did some awful things in the war, Lyssa, and was witness to still more. And I excused it because I was fightin' a war against the Daleks. As if that made it okay. The torture, the interrogations, the killings."

Lyssa started to speak, but he hushed her. "It's alright, Lyssa, I need to tell you. You need to know." He stared at the trees as he spoke, his eyes distant and haunted. "No war is pretty, but this, this was the Last Great Time War. A war to end all wars, and fought across eternity. Galaxies were wiped out, and planets burned; species that were once great reduced to memories and ashes. And I was at the center of it all. I wiped out galaxies, I burned planets. I was the one to end an entire species, except for one. Except for me, the cowardly survivor."

He looked at her, eyes burning. "Do you see, Lyssa, why I'm no longer the Doctor? How can I be? I chose that name as a promise. A promise to never be cruel or cowardly, to never give up, to never give in. And I was. And I did. I broke that promise. I left behind that name because I knew I could no longer be the Doctor when I took part in the war. I gave up who I was to become a warrior. A killer," he spat. "The man who destroyed Gallifrey."

"Or the man who saved the universe," Lyssa retorted fiercely. He looked at her, startled, as she continued, her tone softening but no less determined. "You told me yesterday that you didn't know who you were anymore. But I've been to your future, even if I haven't been to your past yet. I know what you're like, who you are. I've seen it."

"Then who am I?" he demanded sharply, looking slightly ashamed afterwards for phrasing it so harshly; but not taking it back, waiting for her answer.

She regarded him carefully, knowing that for some reason her answer was important to him. "A man who had a terrible burden forced upon him, and he took it, even though he didn't want to. A man who did his best to save galaxies, and planets, and species during the Time War. A man who refused to be cowardly and run away from the fight. A man who refused to be so cruel as to take lives without remorse, even if it was in war. Who refused to let the universe burn, despite all the pain it offered him. A man who refused to give up and let the Daleks win. A man who refused to give in and stop caring about all the aches and pains of the universe."

She leaned forward slightly, feeling tears prick her eyes. "You were given an awful choice, and you took the only path you could, that took the least amount of lives."

"But I wasn't," he whispered hoarsely, staring at the ground. Without waiting for her confused response, he continued, self-loathing practically radiating from him. "I had no choice. In the name of peace and sanity, I had to do it. I had to be the one to wipe out billions of Time Lords and Daleks, or let the universe burn along with them. But I couldn't be the Doctor to do it. I had to break my promise to do it. And so I broke my promise, and ended the Time War. And hundreds of billions of lives with it." He sighed and turned to her. "That's why I'm not the Doctor, Lyssa. Not anymore."

"Then what should I call you?" she asked softly. "Because if you think I'm not going to stick around after this, you're wrong. I go where _you_ go, not your name. But I can hardly go around calling for a thick-headed man who also happens to be my best friend. It would get a bit long, don't you think?"

He didn't smile, but she had expected that. "You could call me 'Theta' I suppose," he muttered at last. "That was my nickname at the Academy. It was only supposed to be used there, but I don't suppose anyone's around to complain about it. And all that aside, you're my best friend. If anyone has a right to use it, it's you."

"Theta," Lyssa said slowly, testing it out. He shuddered at the name, but didn't deign to comment. "It's a bit different, but I'll try to remember that." A thought struck her. "What should I do when other people are around? Is it okay if I call you that then? Or is it something that's supposed to be secret too, like your name?"

He swallowed hard, his hands starting to shake. "Preferably not. But it doesn't matter. I can't leave the TARDIS, Lyssa. I can barely keep a grasp on reality in here, where the TARDIS tries her best to protect me. If I go outside, there'll be too many people around, too many voices, too much sound to bear."

His breathing started to get unsteady as his hands began to pick at the red grass, shredding it unconsciously with his fingers as he talked. "So much noise, so much screaming, they were all screamin', all bleedin', all dyin'." He swiveled his head to look at her, eyes full of unshed tears. "They're all dead, Lyssa. I killed them all, I killed you!"

"No, you didn't, I'm right here!" she protested, growing more and more concerned as he seemed to lose his grip on reality.

He didn't seem to hear her, surging to his feet and starting to pace, seeming to see and hear different things than she was. "I didn't want to kill you, I'm sorry," he pleaded with the air. "I had no choice, not anymore. When I found out what they had done, had been doin'... it needed to stop. It had to stop. No more of the madness. So I ended the war, and billions upon billions of lives along with it."

He dropped to his knees in the grass, tears finally slipping down his cheeks as he gasped for breath. "I killed them all. And I survived, the lonely coward, running off to hide in his TARDIS because I couldn't bear to face the fact that I'd left you alone to face it, and you died, and it was my fault! And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," he wept.

Lyssa couldn't take it anymore and scrambled over to him, kneeling in front of him and cupping his hands. Opening her mouth to speak, she hesitated, suddenly at a loss for words. She couldn't tell him what he actually had done, or what he would do without irreparably changing the timeline. Which meant she couldn't do anything about his guilt, except be there for him. But what do you even say in a situation like that?

In the end it didn't matter, as he began to hyperventilate, incomprehensible words streaming from his mouth as he struggled to speak through his sobs. Eyes darting around the room, he couldn't - or wouldn't - focus on her as she tried to grab his attention until she squeezed his hands, drawing his wide eyes back to her, although they struggled to focus on her.

"Hey, it's okay, you're here, I'm here, and we're both alive, alright?" she said desperately, flipping her palm over in his and placing his fingers on her wrist above her pulse. "See? My heart's beating just fine. I'm right here, and I'm completely fine. Doc - er, Theta? Can you hear me?"

He furrowed his brow. "Lyssa?" he murmured, voice shaky, eyes darting about the room as if searching for her. "Where are you? Are you dead? I saw you die, I saw them all die. All dead, all my fault."

"No, no, no, just focus on me! I'm here, it's really me!" she promised. "Just focus on me, all right? You can hear me, I know you can!"

"I can hear you," he agreed dazedly, still not meeting her eyes. "But I can hear everybody else too, and it's like I'm back there again, and I can't breathe."

"Yeah, but you can feel me. I'm squeezing your hands, do you feel that?" she countered, squeezing his hands harder than was comfortable for either of them. "That means I'm right here with you, and I'm going to help you through this, all right?"

He didn't answer at first, his chest heaving, before he nodded sharply. She almost grinned, but caught herself, speaking calmly in a low voice. "Right then, let's focus on your breathing first. I know you've got a superior respiratory system or whatever, but that fast can't be good for you, either. Can you breathe in with me? Breathe in, two, three, four. Breathe out, two, three, four. Breathe in, two, three, four. Breathe out, two, three, four. That's good!" she encouraged when he managed to time his breaths with hers. "Just like that, with me. Breathe in, two, three, four. Breathe out, two, three, four."

He managed to calm himself down after several minutes of just focusing on his breathing. He tried to apologize for that too, but she firmly refused to let him blame himself for that.

"Your future self told me not to blame myself for being traumatized by an awful experience. That I didn't want or mean for it to happen, I was just overwhelmed by too many sensations. It wasn't my fault then, and it's not your fault now." He'd only reluctantly agreed because she pointed out that if he was weak for essentially having a panic attack, then she was too.

It'd gotten awkward after that, both concerned about the other ("You have panic attacks? What from? What happened?") but unwilling to press such a heavy topic. He would get lost in his thoughts, and she'd try to draw him out; or she'd get lost in her thoughts, and he'd have to pull her out. In the end, they both just ended up falling asleep again on the blanket, still exhausted from their earlier adventures.

The nightmares came back with a vengeance this time, for the both of them. She'd wake up to hear him apologizing to people long gone, his face twisted. He'd wake up to hear her terrified screams as she fought against invisible foes.

She'd gently wake him up, wishing she could give him a better world to wake up to besides a comforting hug. He'd wrap her up in his arms and hold her until she felt safe again, pulling himself together enough to protect her from her dreams until he slept again.

It was hard to say how long they actually slept, or how long they were in their private room until their stomachs became too loud and painful to ignore. And even then, it was more because she knew they needed to eat than any actual desire that had Lyssa pulling him along behind her to the kitchen, where she searched for something, anything, that might help him eat.

She was still surprised when he nodded at her suggestion of bananas, half expecting him to have refused to eat, much like she felt like doing. But she grabbed a banana along with him and sat down at the table to eat it.

"It's a good idea," he explained at her curious look. "Contains vitamins that help your body produce serotonin." While that didn't explain too much to her at the time, she filed the comment away to explore later, wondering if maybe Time Lords had a special need or attraction to the chemical that made bananas so appealing - at least to him.

She herself could only eat the one, and had to be prodded to even finish that. But they were both eating, and that was all that mattered. It was a start.

It would be a week before she could handle being away from him for any period of time without panicking. It would be twice that before he could do the same. They still spent almost every day together.

It would be three weeks after she jumped that she had yet another nightmare, and panicked when she saw the stain on her palm that still refused to leave. He would be the one to calm her down this time, before finally finding a way to remove the stain for good.

It would be four weeks after she jumped that he saw his reflection for the first time in a mirror. He punched it so hard it shattered into pieces on the floor, and he had to wear bandages on his knuckles for another week. She made him promise not to do it again as she wrapped his hands before quietly making sure that any rooms they went into after that held no mirrors.

It would be three months after that before she saw him smile again.

* * *

 **A/N: Wait, did I promise fluff for this chapter? Oops. :/ Sorry. (although in my defense, there's a reasonable amount of fluff considering the circumstances, and it should only grow from this point) I really meant to add more, I did, but today was super busy (everyone graduates on the same day, it seems), and I didn't even get started on this until late, and my muse decided to focus all its efforts on my other story. Hence why it's so short, and I'm sorry for that. *shakes fist at muse. Muse is unaffected* At least there's a little bit of a happy ending?**

 **Hopefully next week should be better, and possibly the end of the Nine/Lyssa arc as we move back into a regular episode again.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Guest, afionna262, and Fakira for reviewing! Your support really does mean a lot to me!**

 ** _Guest: *Sigh* I remember knowing that too. And then forgetting it completely. I will try to go back and edit that, thank you for bringing that to my attention!_**

 ** _afionna262: Ahh, now I feel bad that there's not more fluff in this chapter. I promise it's coming though! (TBH, I'm looking forward to everyone's reactions to the end of this particular arc. It should be quite humorous). Thanks for an awesome review, it's always, always good to hear that my readers are enjoying one of my stories! :)_**

 ** _Fakira: *Tries not to laugh at your pain* *Adds fuel to the fire* *Promises fluff to come* #you're gonna hate the ending to this arc #and love it (I hope). It's good to hear that it made your school day a little better, at least! Hopefully everything is continuing to go well for you! Thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked this chapter (or at least can hang on til next chapter when things really start to get going). :D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	42. Chapter 42 - An Apple By Any Other Name

On her more hopeful days, she liked to tell herself that things were getting better. She hadn't slept in the 'Gallifrey Room', as she had dubbed it, since that first night, wanting him to have a private place to go on the rare occasions he did sleep - _"I'm a Time Lord, Lyssa. I don't need to sleep as often as humans,"_ \- but she didn't have nightmares very often anymore. At least, not bad ones. And when she did, she was usually able to find him working in the console room or wandering in the woods in the Home Room when she didn't want to stay in her room anymore.

The circles under his eyes began to shrink as he began sleeping more - though usually only at her insistence, and only in the Gallifrey Room. As far as she was aware, he didn't even go near the hallway his room was in. He avoided it like the plague - and mirrors even more so, having smashed almost all of them on one of his worse days.

He grabbed his clothes from the Wardrobe Room instead when he needed them, although she had yet to see a sign of his signature jacket. But, he was sleeping, even if it was still less than he should be - the circles under his eyes hadn't disappeared completely. And he would eat when she reminded him too, most of the time.

And sometimes, when she had a bad day, he would be the one reminding her to eat, telling her that she needed to sleep when she tried to stay up all night to avoid the nightmares she knew were waiting. He would be the one to tell her that it would be okay in the end, that he would still be there when she woke up. He still hadn't left the TARDIS, and neither had she, but that was okay. There were more than enough things to do inside, and neither one of them were really up to it yet anyways, him more so that her. But they were getting there, one step at a time.

There were bad days, of course. Days where she couldn't wear anything red, or was afraid to walk down the hallways that shone with a cold, impersonal metal, no matter how much the TARDIS tried to make them warm and cheerful. Days where she slept with the lights on, afraid of what she would see if she didn't. Days where she didn't even want to leave her bed, afraid of what she might find if she did.

On those days, he would and come sit by her bed in a companionable silence, occasionally bringing along something to work on. Thankfully, her bad days were growing rarer, and didn't last as long when they did come along.

Unfortunately, he had bad days too, far more common than hers. Sometimes he wouldn't speak for days at a time as unwanted memories rolled through his head, and all she could do was be a silent support until he was ready to speak again. Other times, something one of them might say or do would trigger a flashback, and she would just have to wait it out, her heart hurting as he alternately sobbed or raged, unseeing of his actual surroundings.

Those days were bad for them both.

But - there were good days too. Days where she'd make her hot chocolate recipe for them both and they'd just sit at the kitchen table and talk about everything and nothing. Days where they'd do nothing but watch Disney movies all day - she liked Tangled, while he preferred Big Hero 6. Nights where, when neither of them could sleep, they'd lie under the sky in the Home Room and watch the stars appear in the sky as he pointed out different constellations to her.

She found the video game collection three months in, and it somehow became a part of their routine whenever one of them needed a break. Whether it was a nightmare, a flashback or just plain discussing some of the horrors of the Time War - heavily edited, and usually brief in nature - it became the unofficial way to put some of their burdens behind them for the time being.

She became a master of Crash Bandicoot 3, while he was declared the reigning champion of Mario Kart in short order. Wii bowling was officially banned after Lyssa didn't secure the strap of her remote correctly and accidentally sent it flying straight into the TV, cracking it and actually breaking the remote.

On the bright side, that was the first time she saw him smile since she had arrived. He even let out a short laugh at her frantically sputtered apologies before he stopped, looking surprised himself at the laughter. Lyssa didn't mention it, not wanting it to become a problem, but she felt a new hope that things were getting better surge up within her.

And indeed, things did seem to be getting better after that. It wasn't an immediate fix, of course, but he began to smile again on occasion, and they were all the more precious for their rarity. Not to mention that when he did smile, he would smile so bright that it would light up his face and, just for a moment, wipe away all the cares and pain that had been etched there by the unfair burden he shouldered so willingly.

They also began reading together in the library at night before she went to bed. It started roughly two months after she'd jumped there, when she'd been reading an Agatha Christie novel. He'd wandered in a few chapters in and plopped down at the edge of the couch by her feet and asked her if she minded reading aloud.

She didn't, and it became another tradition. She'd read until her voice started to get hoarse, and then he'd take over for her, his smooth baritone giving life to the characters until she became too sleepy to continue, curled up in a ball on the couch beside him.

And so the days went on, trickling into weeks, then months, until she had been there with him for six months. She didn't even realize what it meant at first until it had already passed, but when she did, she dropped her pen in surprise. She had been sitting in the library working on her journal while he read a book, and he looked up when he heard it fall.

"Lyssa? You all right?" he asked in concern, sticking a bookmark in his book.

She shook her head, picking her pen back up and closing her journal. "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine. I just - I just realized that I've been here for over a year now, and that's just really weird to think about. It's been over three hundred and sixty-five days since I arrived in your TARDIS for the first time.

"Has it been a good year?" he asked carefully, keeping his face neutral.

She shrugged. "For the most part, yes." She patted her journal with a smile on her face. "This isn't even close to being full, but I've already written down so many good memories in here, that what little unpleasantness is in here is more than covered by all the amazing things that we've done. Like the picnic we went on shortly after I met you for the first time. Going ice skating and saving a bunch of people in the process. Having a snowball fight with you, which you only won because you cheated," she added with a mock glare before her face softened as she lifted up her snowflake charm and ran her finger over the blue gem set in it.

"You giving me one of the best Christmas presents I've ever had. Us walking America from coast to coast. Helping people, and knowing that I'm making a difference. Dancing at the wedding of two great people who finally got their act together and got married. Getting to see the coronation of a queen. And so many more wonderful things."

She paused, considering her next words before she spoke. "To be honest, it's probably been one of the best years of my life, easily." She grinned, nudging his side with an elbow. "Although seeing your face when you tried to eat that apple probably ranks as one of my top favorite memories."

He rolled his eyes. "That apple was disgusting, Lyssa. The whole batch was probably wrong. Awful, the lot of them."

"I ate an apple from that batch, and I thought it was fine," Lyssa pointed out, raising an eyebrow and hiding a grin. "You sure it's not just a case of 'An apple a day keeps the - er, Doctor away?' Or in this case, the Time Lords? You all seem to love bananas, is there a mutual hatred for apples as well?"

She kept talking, hoping he wouldn't notice her flub when she referenced his - hopefully temporarily - abandoned title. Thankfully, he seemed to gloss over it, choosing instead to react to the rest of her statement with crossed arms and a mock pout.

"Humans will regularly eat dirt, grass, insects, and even laundry detergent despite the 'Do Not Eat' labels on them," he retorted without any real heat. "And you're choosin' to attack me for refusing to eat some moldy apples?"

"I'm not attacking you," she said with a smirk, setting her journal on the table and getting up from the couch, sauntering over to the door. "I'm just accusing you of being afraid of apples. Non-moldy, delicious apples. Applephobic. Intense fear and hatred of apples"

He slowly stood from the couch, letting his book fall to the cushion as he strolled over to her, crossing his arms and staring down at her with an unamused expression. Well, that's what he was going for, anyways. It wasn't quite a smile, but the corners of his lips were twitching upwards, so she counted it as a win.

"Lyssa Devons," he exclaimed as if in shock, leaning forward towards her. "I am disappointed in you. Just because I didn't like those apples does not mean that I'm afraid of them! I merely... did not prefer their taste."

Lyssa leaned forward, her posture challenging. "Just those apples, you say? So then, any other apples would be fine? You would love them? Should I run to the kitchen and grab you one?" she offered mockingly, making as if she was about to run off.

He stopped her before she could leave, though, shaking his head at her. "No, but thank you, Lyssa. That's quite unnecessary, I assure you. I don't want an apple."

"See? I told you!" she crowed triumphantly. "Applephobia!"

"I'm not afraid of apples!" he protested indignantly. "And besides, that's not even the correct term."

"Oh? Then what is it?" she challenged him.

"Malusdomesticaphobia," he rattled off in one breath. "It means fear of apples, and I am not afraid of apples!"

She nodded slowly. "Okay. I believe you," she said placatingly, sliding one foot backwards towards the door. "You're not afraid of apples. But you know what? A phobia doesn't just mean fear, it means extreme hatred as well. Which means you, dear sir, are still applephobic!"

He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, the twitch in the corner of his lips threatening to turn into a smile. "Lyssa!"

She beamed at him, her eyes dancing mischievously. "All right then. You're not afraid of apples, and you don't hate them either. So that means it will be completely fine if I start including apples in all our meals. They're good for you, and sweet as well, so I'm just gonna go start cooking some right now! Don't worry, it should be ready by dinner! And I expect you'll want a lot, I don't think you've eaten much for the past few days. Good thing we have lots of apples!" With that parting shot, she turned and darted out the door, laughing gleefully when she heard his thumping footsteps behind her.

"Lyssa! I do not want apples in all my food!" he shouted at her, struggling to hide the amusement in his voice. "Do you hear me? No apples!"

"You said you wanted extra apples?" she shouted back, rounding a corner and speeding up. "Okay! You should have told me before now, I would have been making them all along! I make some delicious cinnamon fried apples!"

"Lyssa!"

She giggled at the exasperation leaking into his voice, whooping in triumph when she saw the door to the kitchen appear up ahead. "Yes! The TARDIS is on my side, Theta, she agrees with me!" Putting on a burst of speed, she threw the door open and ran into the room, only to stop short in shock.

This was not the kitchen, and the only way out was behind her.

"You were sayin'?" she heard a smug voice from behind her - right behind her. She turned around sheepishly to see him standing there in front of her, practically radiating triumph as he raised his eyebrows at her.

She took a step backwards, one hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. "Uh... I was... just talking about, uh, how you're such a great friend and would never do anything mean to me, right? 'Cause you're, uh... such an awesome person. Right?"

She slid another step backwards at the gleam in his eye as he stepped forwards to match her. "I would never do anything mean to you. Promise." He stepped forward again when she did, glancing nervously behind her as she grew closer to the edge. She was running out of room, and the almost-smile was growing nearer and nearer to being an actual smile. "However, I don't think that this would count as 'mean'," he said mockingly, moving another step closer.

She made puppy-dog eyes at him uselessly as she was forced to take another step backwards until, finally, she couldn't move any further behind her. "Theta," she whined.

He cocked his head to the side questioningly, edging ever so slightly closer. "Yes, Lyssa?"

"Don't push me in," she pouted, making her eyes as big and adorable as she could, shifting nervously. "That'd be mean, and you said you weren't gonna be mean."

He nodded. "That's right, I did. And I won't." But before she could fully relax, he swooped down and picked her up, lifting her easily.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked, eyes wide as she flung her arms around his neck, thrown off balance by the sudden shift.

And finally, he let his grin bloom across his face, lighting up his eyes and making her heart flutter strangely in her chest. "I rather thought that would have been obvious by now. Take a deep breath!" Not letting her respond, he stepped forward and leapt off the edge, jumping forward and landing in the middle of the pool with a splash, releasing Lyssa as he did so.

She pushed off of him and surfaced with a splutter, gasping for air before splashing water at him. "Theta! That was mean!" she whined. "Now my clothes are all wet!"

"Mine are all wet too," he pointed out unsympathetically. "And you deserved it."

She huffed, kicking to stay afloat in the deeper end of the pool. He noticed and swam forward, trying to take her hand and tug her towards the edge of the pool, but she jerked her hand back, narrowing her eyes at him before splashing him in the face with the water from the pool. "Well, you deserved that. So, there."

"Why on earth would I deserve that?" he huffed, wiping his face off and deliberately swimming towards her. "You started it!"

She stuck her nose up in the air, swimming away from him. "Au contraire, my friend. I believe you were the one to start it, by expressing your phobia for apples. Therefore, this is logically all your fault."

And that's the story of how they ended up spending three hours in the swimming pool completely clothed, only shedding their shoes and socks after they began hampering their ability to swim. In her journal on a later date, Lyssa would blame her exhaustion from this as the reason for her "forgetting" and making an apple cobbler for dessert that night (although she did cave and make banana pancakes as the main dish in exchange), something he did not find nearly as hilarious as she did, as he sat there watching her eat the cobbler with delight.

"It's barely even an apple anymore. It's been sweetened, and peeled, and baked until it's basically been cooked to oblivion. It's a cobbler, which means sugar!" Lyssa pointed out, taking a second helping from the dish.

"An apple by any other name is still an apple," he pointed out, taking the remainder of the pancakes in retaliation. "And therefore still tastes like one. Why do you think I like these banana pancakes so much?"

"I don't know, because you're obsessed with bananas?" Lyssa muttered, smiling innocently when he peered at her suspiciously. A thought suddenly occurred to her. Leaning forward in her chair, she asked, "So, wait. Just to clarify, it doesn't matter what you do to the apple, it's still an apple?" He nodded, looking a bit thrown off by the abrupt subject change. "Even if it's cut, bruised, burned, whatever, even if I call it by a different name, it's still, at its core, an apple, no matter what?"

He nodded slowly - and suspiciously. "What are you plannin', Lyssa?"

She leaned back in her chair, humming complacently. "Nothing you need to worry about. It's just an idea for now. I'll let you know what I'm planning later."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he retorted easily. "That you won't tell me until it's too late to stop you."

She grinned, standing up from her chair and taking her dishes to the sink. "It's more of an epiphany than anything else. I promise, you'll be the first person to know."

"That's not funny, Lyssa."

"I thought it was funny." She stopped by the doorway. "I'm gonna be in the library if you need me." Waiting until he nodded in acknowledgement, she slipped through the doorway and headed towards the library, hoping that the TARDIS didn't suddenly decide to switch doors on her again. Once was enough - especially since it didn't end up in her favor. It had gotten him to smile, though, so she supposed it was all right in the end.

He was getting better, although he still got nervous sometimes if he didn't know where she was, so she tried to let him know just as a gesture of respect. It was better than when she had first shown up, though, where she'd actually found him in the midst of a panic attack, convinced she was just another elaborate hallucination his mind had created to torment him. Nowadays, he mostly just became tense until he found her, and even that was getting better.

And so, on that note, she resolved to ask him about going outside. There were so many rooms in the TARDIS that she had no need to step outside the doors to get access to the sun and wind, and both of them had felt safer inside the TARDIS than out. Now, however, both of them were on the road to healing. And perhaps it was time they took another step forward. In fact, it was practically vital, for the both of them.

It was another week before she got around to asking him if he would be willing to go on a short trip with her to some peaceful planet where they could relax. He'd just stared at her for a full two minutes before quietly asking for some time to think about it, and disappearing into the bowels of his ship. Three weeks after that, he finally agreed.

"I need to be able to go outside again. I have to. I have to start makin' up for it. I have to try. But - I can't start there yet. Not yet. Somewhere - small, and peaceful."

He ended up picking Earth for Lyssa since she hadn't seen it for so long, finding somewhere in what would be eventually be England sometime around 100 AD so that they weren't likely to be bothered. And indeed, with the exception of some small children running shrieking through the nearby forest, there was no one around.

Lyssa stepped out of the TARDIS and onto Earth grass for the first time in seven months, her eyes wide as she looked around at all the beautiful scenery. The sky was a clear blue, the sun shone high in the sky, and best of all, she could hear water trickling nearby. Jogging in that direction, him following with a smile on his face at her excitement, she stopped when she saw the waterfall. Clear water poured over a small wall and into a little pool below, before it emptied into yet another waterfall.

"It's beautiful, thank you so much, Doctor! I love it!" she said with a breathless laugh, forgetting herself as she crouched down by the pool and let her hand trickle through the water.

She heard him suck in a breath behind her. "Lyssa, I'm not -"

She closed her eyes and stood to her feet, turning to face him. All healing has to start somewhere, she reminded herself. "An apple by any other name is still an apple," she quoted softly, pulling something from her pocket and holding it enclosed in her hand.

He frowned at the non sequitur. "What?"

She held her hand out, opening it to reveal a small handful of apple seeds inside. "The core of the apple. The outside was cut, sliced, burned, and shredded. But these are still apple seeds. Nothing I did to them changed the nature of these seeds. Even if I grafted them onto an orange tree, they would still eventually produce apples." She smirked. "Calling them 'fruit' instead, while still valid, doesn't come close to explaining what they really are."

His face was becoming stern, but still pained. "Lyssa..."

She ignored the warning in his tone, rushing on to explain herself. "What I'm trying to say is that even if you don't call them apples, they're still apples! And if you call a hero anything but a hero, he's still a hero. Even if he doesn't believe it himself."

"I broke that promise, Lyssa. I left it behind. I no longer deserved that title."

She fixed her eyes on his. "Do you know how humans learn to walk? We stumble. Sometimes, we fall. But we pick ourselves back up again. It's okay to make mistakes. Everyone does. It's okay to fall, sometimes. Everyone does." Her tone softened. "What's important is that you pick yourself up again. Even if you broke that promise, you make it again. For all that you've been scarred by what you've been forced to go through, you know what?"

She placed her hand on his chest, feeling the solid thumps from both his heart. "The same two hearts still beat inside. You still care about people, even if you pretend you don't. And I bet if one of those children over there fell and scraped their knee, you'd be more than willing to go help them patch it up." She gestured over to where the sounds of shrieking could still be faintly heard. "Don't you see?" she pleaded, bringing her hand back up to rest on his shoulder as he stared down at her, hardly breathing, his intense gaze burning into her.

"You can call yourself any name you want. But you're still a healer. You're still a hero. You're still you." She shook her head, pausing to stare at the ground and collect her thoughts before continuing. "You're my best friend no matter what you call yourself. I'm friends with you, not your title. But you're denying yourself so much more than just a title. You're locking away so much of who you are. And you're grieving. I get that. Really, I do. It's okay. But it can't stay that way forever, or you'll never be able to really heal."

He snapped out whatever daze he had been in, bringing up his own hands to cup her face. "Oh, Lyssa. My fairy-girl," he said, his voice threatening to break as he lowered his forehead to touch hers. "Don't ever change. I'm already healin' because of you. Because you're here. Because you see in me, the man that I want to be. And I'm not there right now, not yet. But I will be. Because of you. _For_ you. I promise that."

She sniffed, rapidly blinking to hold back her tears as she heard the truth in his voice. "I believe you," she whispered, starting to sway slightly as dizziness began to wash over her. She pulled back slightly to beam up at him through watery eyes. "It looks like some other version of you needs me now. Think you can handle it without me until I show up again?"

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, smiling at the blush and small smile that appeared when he did so. "Lyssa, I'll always need you. But I've got somethin' that I need to do, to keep me occupied until you come back. I'll be fine, Lyssa."

"Oh! I almost forgot. Here, I meant to give these to you earlier," Lyssa apologized, holding out her hand again and depositing the apple seeds in his hand, her own hand starting to swirl with gold. "To remind you. Of everything."

He took the seeds in one hand, and held hers securely in the other, a sad smile playing about his face. "Fairy-girl, I could never forget everythin' you've taught me. Stay safe."

She nodded, the gold twirling up her body now. "You too," she whispered, and then she was gone, leaving him standing there with only the seeds in his hand as a sign she had ever been there.

He looked down at the seeds in his hand, shaking his head with a bittersweet smile on his face. Pulling a small jewelry box out of his pocket, he flipped it open to reveal something small and silver, with a green gem at the top nestled inside. Placing the two seeds on top of the velvet next to the object, he carefully shut it again and returned it to his pocket before heading back to the TARDIS, his stance determined.

He'd been walking among the trees in their room when he'd noticed a space in between some of the trees. A space that was just big enough to hold an apple tree, if he did a bit of tinkering with the seeds.

Two weeks later for him, although he wasn't quite sure how long it had been for the planet, the TARDIS materialized again, and he stepped out, a black leather jacket thrown over one of his green jumpers. Quickly making his way over to the waterfall, he began scanning the area with a blue and silver sonic screwdriver. Once he was done, he checked the results and nodded in satisfaction.

"Sent straight to the controls. A bit of tweaking, and I should be able to add it to our room. Always wondered what it was missin'. Should've realized it sooner - it was missin' _her_." He shook his head. "No matter now. I'll add it in, show it to her next time I get the chance." Turning around, he started to head back to the TARDIS when he heard something at the edge of his hearing, turning back around to try and catch it again, frowning in concentration. Then he heard it again, and he sucked in a breath.

It was a child's scream for help.

He didn't even hesitate, leaping forward over the pool of water and running towards the source, changing direction as the sound moved. He finally burst into a clearing in the woods a few minutes later, his eyes narrowing when he saw three burly men loading a limp child into a wooden cage set atop a rough wagon, three more unconscious children inside, chains wrapped around their small wrists.

Slavers. His lip curled at the thought.

"Hey! What're you doin' here?" A deep, snarly voice arrested his thoughts and directed him towards a fourth man, taller than the rest and perhaps a hair more intelligent. "Who're you? Are you lookin' to cut in on our profits? Because we earned these."

"Me?" He smiled coldly, flipping his sonic screwdriver idly in one hand. "I'm the Doctor. Basically, run."

* * *

 **A/N: Ya know, I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of responses I get this chapter. We've got a bit of everything - angst, healing, friendship, friendly pranks, romance, and the fluff everyone's been asking for - is this enough? Or do you still need more after the roller coaster of the last few chapters?**

 **Also, I definitely hinted at something of very big significance in this chapter, and it's not very subtle, but at the same time, I'll be very surprised if anyone gets what it is. Hint: It's not what you think it is. ;)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed (We've already got over 250 followers, and I'm not even 50 chapters in, seriously, you guys are amazing!). And Shout-out to afionna262, V, TheProtectorOfHim, Fakira, Alix Winchester, and gabumon7 for reviewing - your response was amazing, and I can't tell you how much your support means to me!**

 ** _afionna262: *Sniff* You're gonna make me cry happy tears. Fluff as requested, because you left such a nice review. hope you enjoy. Floss may be required afterwards. Thanks for reviewing and supporting me, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _V: (You forgot to sign in again, but it's totally you. Avocado sunglasses and all). Your review made me crack up. Thanks for an awesome review, and I'm glad you liked the last chapter (It wasn't one of my favorites, so I'm glad you liked it!) *jazz hands* Hope you like this one! :D_**

 ** _TheProtectorOfHim: Aww, thanks! I'm glad to see you like Lyssa! I try not to make her perfect, since we clearly aren't, so it's good to see that she's at least fairly realistic. :D Thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 ** _Fakira: Day 42: I must continue to remind myself not to laugh at my readers' pain - at least, not where they can find out what I'm doing. ;D Does the fluff in this chapter make up for the large amount of angst recently? (loved your review, especially the comparisons. So relatable lol) Thanks for an awesome (and hilarious) review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Alix Winchester: No Rose yet, but, uh... he smiles here. And I like to think that there's a fair amount of fluff involved. Does this help? 'Cause on the one hand, I'm glad that my writing evokes such an emotional response, but on the other hand, I've been in your place, and I just wanted the pain to be over. Hence, the fairly large amount of fluff here. Floss may be required. Let me know if you want more fluff next chapter, lol. Depends on where Lyssa ends up... ;D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! (And that this one doesn't make you sad)_**

 ** _gabumon7: *Sheepish laughter* Uh, does this count? I hope this doesn't make you cry, unless it's tears of happiness. As for where she goes next... you'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	43. Chapter 43- Victory of the Daleks Part 1

Lyssa appeared in a flash of gold on a hallway and immediately staggered over to the wall, resting her head against it dizzily as the world around her spun. Forget riding a roller coaster immediately after scarfing down a funnel cake. This was like spinning in a swivel chair until you fell over - which she had done far too much of as a child, and had always considered the worst of the two.

When the dizziness didn't go away after a few moments, she slid down the wall and just laid flat on her back in the middle of the floor, closing her eyes in hopes that the walls would stop spinning around her. She had vague memories of this happening before, and being stuck in the TARDIS while aliens from another dimension tried to take over the world - again. If she missed out on another adventure just because her vision was so messed up she was seeing alternate timelines, she was going to be very cross. At least last time she'd had the Doctor with her, though.

The Doctor.

She'd just disappeared in front of him while he was still trying to recover from the Time War and the loss of everyone he knew. She sat bolt upright, only to nearly fall back down as another wave of vertigo suddenly slammed into her. She clamped a hand over her mouth and swallowed hard, willing herself not to get sick. Now was not the time. She had to find the Doctor, wherever he was, and make sure he was all right.

She just had to make sure she didn't get sick when she found him first. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself. Forcing herself to wait until the nausea had passed, she opened her eyes carefully, half expecting another round to hit her. When nothing happened, she pushed herself up into a standing position using the wall, testing her balance on her own two feet. So far, so good. She took a hesitant step forward, silently rejoicing when she didn't fall flat on her face.

Okay. She could walk now, that was good. She felt a little top heavy, still a bit foggy, but she could walk without leaning to one side so she counted it as a win. Moving on to other matters, like where she was, she took the opportunity to examine the walls without them revolving around her.

She took some small comfort in the fact that she was able to recognize them immediately as the Eleventh Doctor's. Most likely Pre-Clara, as well. Maybe. She hadn't actually been there yet, and it'd been over a year now since she'd seen any of the show, but it seemed a bit too light, and orange-tinted.

So that narrowed it down to somewhere between three hundred years and two and a half seasons. Rolling her eyes at herself, she continued down the hallway, hoping she could find him somewhere around the ship. She had enough things to focus on as it was, but felt her heart skip a beat in her chest when she heard someone shrieking further down the corridor, and increased her pace, stumbling when something darted from a cross corridor in front of her before vanishing.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that," she muttered, shaking her head and continuing on towards the noise. When she burst into the console room, however, there was no sign of any danger, only the Eleventh Doctor, and Amy in a red shirt, black jacket, and jean skirt.

"It was just a holographic rat, left over from where we went. It'll disappear in a moment. You're fine. Just remember what I told you, Pond. No wandering off, and you should stay out of trouble just fine. Wandering off, that's how they always get into trouble," the Doctor grumbled, wagging his finger at Amy admonishingly.

"Yeah, cause you never got into trouble on your own, right?" Lyssa called out with a smirk.

They both spun around, the Doctor getting a wide grin on his face when he saw her. "Lyssa! You're here!"

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Amy interrupted, frowning at her.

"My eyes?" Lyssa repeated uncertainly, slowing to a stop. "What? What's wrong with them?"

"They're all sort of," Amy waved her hand about in the air uncertainly. "Glow-y," she finally finished.

"My eyes are glowing?" Lyssa's hands flew up to her eyes before she dug into her pockets, hoping she'd put her pocket mirror in their earlier that morning. She must have done so unconsciously, or perhaps left it there from another adventure, but either way, she pulled it out and flipped it open.

It was a very strange sight to see her eyes still their normal brown for the most part, but also glowing a pale gold in some spots, slowly fading back to brown. "Okay. Wasn't expecting that. My eyes glow. Please don't tell me I'm going to have to live the rest of my life as my own personal nightlight," she pleaded jokingly, torn between staring a little longer and thrusting the mirror back in her pocket. Unsettled by the sight, she chose the latter.

"Er, no," the Doctor assured her. "It's already mostly gone, should be fully gone in a minute or two. Mind telling me where you've come from, though? Might help narrow down why they're glowing. Believe it or not, there's more than one reason for that. Also, how long were you there, wherever you were?"

It was Lyssa's turn to hesitate now, not wanting to drag up bad memories. "Nine. Seven months, give or take a few weeks. Shortly after, uh, you know." She glanced up at the ceiling awkwardly, scratching her chin. "The thing?" She wasn't looking when he made the sound of comprehension, unwilling to see the pain enter his face when he'd been fairly cheerful before. So she was surprised when he suddenly swept her up into a hug. "Doctor?"

"Don't bother trying to brush it off, you deserve one after all you put up with while you were there," he said firmly. "I don't think you'll ever know how much it meant to me to have you there for me, helping me to recover, how much I needed that."

She relaxed and returned the hug. "Well, believe it or not, but that time was just as beneficial for me as you say it was for you. I needed that break from running about and watching you get into trouble." She released him and stepped back, a smile on her face. "But now I think it'll be good to get back into the swing of things. Or are you not doing anything today?"

"Oi! When I got into trouble, you were right there with me!" the Doctor protested. "Sometimes you even started it! But no, we're doing something. Something rather exciting, actually. We're going to meet the Prime Minister!"

"Ooh, sounds fun!" Lyssa exclaimed before pausing. "Which one?"

"The British one," Amy explained with a small smile.

Lyssa nodded knowingly. "Ah. That narrows it down. Thanks." She shook her head. "No, actually, it doesn't. Which British one?"

The Doctor grinned, throwing a lever and sending the ship into the Time Vortex. "Just wait and see, he should be waiting for us! Said he needed our help with something, so I'm trying to get there shortly after he called for us." He grunted as the ship suddenly lurched and he crashed into the console. "That is, if _someone_ can actually get us there without any side trips this time!"

"But, Doctor, that was your fault!" Amy started, hanging onto the console for dear life.

The TARDIS materialized with a final groan as the Doctor pointed a finger at her warningly. "We agreed not to talk about that, Amy. You promised!"

"Only because it was that or listen to you pout for the rest of the day," the redhead mumbled under her breath, crossing her arms. Lyssa tried to muffle her snickers with her hand at the betrayed look the Doctor sent her.

"No loyalty. No loyalty at all," he grumbled, throwing open the doors, showing no surprise when he was met with a room full of soldiers all pointing guns at him, parting down the center to make room. "Lyssa, Amy..." He held out an arm in cheerful introduction. "Winston Churchill!" he proclaimed as a portly middle-aged man bustled towards him, spectacles on his face.

"Doctor? Is that you?" the British man asked as Amy and Lyssa stepped out of the TARDIS and stared at him in astonishment.

"Oh, Winston, my old friend!" the Doctor exclaimed cheerfully, going to shake his hand but pulling up short when the older-looking man held out a hand and motioned that he wanted something. "Ah, every time!"

"What's he after?" Amy asked, still staring at the man with wide eyes.

"TARDIS key, of course," the Doctor said nonchalantly.

"Think of what I could achieve with your remarkable machine, Doctor! The lives that could be saved!" Churchill said dramatically.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Ah, it doesn't quite work like that, which you should know by now." He pointedly leaned back and closed the TARDIS door.

"Must I take it by force?" the Prime Minister said, amusement hidden behind the threat in his voice.

"I'd like to see you try," the Doctor retorted in the same tone.

It almost seemed like there would be a stand-off before both men relaxed and laughed. "Ah, well, it was worth a try. At ease!" Lyssa snorted as the soldiers in the room relaxed and lowered their guns, drawing his attention to her. "Ah, Lyssa! You're here too, and looking a bit different than last time. But less, I am inclined to think, than our mutual friend," he said, inclining his head towards the Doctor. "Have you given any more thought to my offer?"

Lyssa blinked. "Offer? Uh, I think you have the wrong me, sorry. I haven't met you yet."

"You haven't?" Churchill peered at her before nodding in comprehension. "Ah. Never mind then. May I just say that it's a pleasure to meet you then, Lyssa?"

She grinned, shaking his proffered hand. "Likewise."

"And who's your redheaded friend?" Churchill asked, turning to Amy and offering his hand.

"Amy Pond," she introduced herself, taking his hand.

"Ah, you're Scottish!" He turned to the Doctor. "You pick your friends from all over the globe then. British, American, and now Scottish!"

"Anyways, you rang?" the Doctor asked impatiently.

Churchill looked confused at first before his face cleared. "Ah, yes. If you'll follow me?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode out of the room and down a series of corridors, not even flinching when sirens began sounding overhead and soldiers began rushing about. "Air raid. Don't worry about it, we should be safe enough down here. In fact, it's perfect for what I want to show you." He turned down another hallway. "I see you've changed your face again."

The Doctor shrugged, flipping Churchill's cane back and forth between his hands, although Lyssa had no idea when he'd stolen it. "Had a bit of work done."

"Wait, I think I got it," Amy said excitedly, keeping pace with them. "Cabinet War Rooms, right?"

"Yup! Top secret heart of the War Office, right under London," the Doctor explained.

"You're late by the way," Churchill mentioned offhandedly, nodding when a woman rushed up with a clipboard and signing it.

"Late?" the Doctor questioned.

"I rang you a month ago."

"Really? Sorry. Sorry, it's a Type 40 TARDIS. I'm just running her in," the Doctor explained.

"Oh, sure, blame her. What's your excuse for Rose being a year late? Or a few other cases that I could mention?" Lyssa brought up smugly.

"Calibration error," he explained, pouting. "It's very difficult piloting a TARDIS by yourself."

"Or it's just pilot error," Lyssa countered, snickering when Amy did.

"Something the matter, Breen? You look a little down in the dumps," Winston said to the woman, handing the clipboard back to her.

Breen hugged the clipboard to herself. "No, sir. Fine, sir."

"Action this day, Breen! Action this day!" Churchill exclaimed encouragingly.

"Yes sir." She nodded, forcing a smile before leaving right as another officer came running up.

"Excuse me, sir, got another formation coming in, Prime Minister. Stukas, by the look of them."

"We shall go up top then, Group Captain! We'll give 'em what for! Coming, Doctor?"

"Why?" the Doctor asked, spinning the cane in his hand and nearly hitting himself in the face with it.

Churchill snatched his cane back from the Doctor. "I have something to show you!"

The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at the others as they followed the Prime Minister to the elevators and started heading up. Lyssa huddled in the back with Amy, trying to subtly plug her nose when he lit up a cigar and began puffing on it. The Doctor wasn't nearly so subtle, and waved his hands in front of his face to clear the air, grimacing.

"We stand at a crossroads, Doctor," Churchill said grimly. "Quite alone, with our backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands anything that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

The elevator stopped, and Churchill opened the gate in front of them. "Follow me." He led them up a short flight of stairs onto a roof, piles of sandbags everywhere. He gestured towards another middle-aged man in a white coat on a higher level of the roof, watching something in the sky with binoculars. "Doctor, this is Professor Edwin Bracewell, head of our Ironsides Project."

Lyssa frowned at the name, something pinging in her memory. It'd been so long since she'd had to use her journal for anything, and even longer since she'd watched the show. Only half listening as the Doctor introduced himself to Bracewell, and not really registering the growing buzz of airplanes in the distance, she dug into her jeans and pulled out her journal, flipping through it. Obviously, there were occasions that she jumped to places outside of what she had seen in the show, but this seemed really familiar to her.

Flipping to the back where she'd written down the episodes that she remembered, she found the episodes that had the Eleventh Doctor. They weren't completely in order, as her memory clearly wasn't that good, but she knew it had to be sometime in early Season Five, as Rory wasn't around at this point in time. If she could just remember even the name of the episode, that might help...

An all too familiar sound of a laser beam sounded a few yards to the side of her, and she shrieked, dropping her journal to the ground as several blue rays of light shot into the sky, instantly destroying several German planes that had been approaching.

"What was that?" Amy frowned, sounding curious, but not worried.

The Doctor, however, was horrified. "That wasn't human, that was never human technology. That sounded like... Show me! Show me what that was!" he ordered, running towards the ladder and climbing rapidly up to Bracewell's level, Amy and Lyssa waiting below. Lyssa shifted nervously in place, half tempted to run back inside before she could be seen.

"Advance!" Bracewell called calmly in a Scottish accent towards a sandbagged area.

"Our new secret weapon!" Churchill exclaimed proudly as a dirty old Dalek trundled out from behind the sandbags. It was painted in army khaki, had a small Union flag under the eyestalk, wore a utility belt, and had the lights on top of its dome covered. "What do you think? Quite something, eh?"

The Doctor could only shake his head, horrified. Stalking up to the Dalek, he glared down at it and demanded, "What are you doing here?"

" **I am your soldier** ," the Dalek replied simply.

He scowled. "What?"

" **I am your soldier** ," it repeated.

"Stop this!" the Doctor demanded. "Stop now! You know who I am, you always know!"

" **Your identity is unknown,** " the Dalek replied.

"Perhaps I can clarify things here, this is one of my Ironsides," Bracewell stepped in.

"Your what?" the Doctor asked, turning on him.

"You will help the Allied cause in any way that you can?" Bracewell said instead, addressing the Dalek.

" **Yes.** "

"Until the Germans have been utterly smashed?" Bracewell continued, the Dalek once again replying in the affirmative. "And what is your ultimate aim?"

" **To win this war!** " the Dalek proclaimed.

Lyssa shook her head, hands flying up to her mouth. She wasn't prepared for the Dalek to suddenly turn its head towards her, its eyestalk focusing on her. She turned her head to the side and bent down to pick up her previously forgotten journal, desperate to hide her face from the creature. She couldn't help but flinch when she saw what she had written at the top of the page when she flipped her journal over.

 _Victory of the Daleks_.

She scanned the page, seeing the brief bits and pieces of information she had written down that she had recalled. The Daleks' plan. How the Doctor saying their name gave them the power they needed to create more Daleks. Bracewell, and what he truly was. How they'd saved him, in the end. And how the Daleks had gotten away once more.

"Lyssa?" She jumped, snapping the book shut as she jerked her head up towards the Doctor with wide eyes. "Sorry. You all right?"

She nodded, glancing over at the upper level, where the Dalek was still watching her, and unsuccessfully tried to fight off a shiver. "Just jumpy."

"Well, I can understand that." He cast a glare up towards the Dalek, stepping between her and it. "Come on. Churchill's agreed to show me the blueprints of his 'Ironsides'," he spat.

Lyssa swallowed hard as she stepped into place behind the others as they returned to the elevator. "This isn't going to be good," she whispered, slipping her journal back into her pocket.

He stopped beside her in the back of the elevator, Amy trying to look as though she weren't listening in, while Churchill talked to Bracewell. "Is this one of those times where you know what's going to happen?" he whispered back. "How bad is it going to be?"

She nodded, stepping closer to him and lowering her voice even more. "Not as bad as Canary Wharf. But still pretty bad. Out of ten, I'd say it's maybe... eight or nine for the catastrophic potential if we don't stop them?"

"Any hints?"

She frowned, trying to think. "Uh, don't lose your temper? That's really important, and leads into the second one. Don't say their name. Not where they can hear you. Don't ever tell them their name."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't say their name where they can hear it? Why -" But the lift came to a stop just then, and they all filed out after Churchill into his office, where he pulled out a folder and spread it out for them, blueprints and diagrams for a Dalek laid out for all to see.

The Doctor look at them and shook his head. "They're Daleks! They're called Daleks!" he exclaimed vehemently, although he was careful to lower his voice.

"They are Bracewell's Ironsides, Doctor!" Churchill contradicted. "Look! Blueprints, statistics, field-tests, photographs. He invented them!"

"Invented? Oh, no, no, no," the Doctor rebutted, running his hands through his hair.

"Yes! He approached one of our brass hats a few months ago. Fella's a genius."

"A Scottish genius, too," Amy snarked. "Maybe you should listen to -"

"Shh!" the Doctor cut Amy off abruptly. "He didn't invent them, they're alien!"

"Alien?" the Prime Minister scoffed.

Lyssa felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end, and swung around to see a Dalek gliding by the open doorway. The Doctor, sensing its presence as well, looked over its shoulder just as it swiveled to view the room. Almost casually, it swiveled its' eyestalk back to the front before rolling on out of sight.

The Doctor waited until it was gone before continuing. "And totally hostile!"

"Precisely! They will win me the war!" Churchill exclaimed, flipping over a blueprint to reveal a propaganda poster with a Dalek, similarly arrayed as the one on the roof. He tossed it back on the table and headed out into the corridors, followed by the others, the Doctor continuing to try and plead with him.

"Why won't you listen? Why call me in if you're not going to listen to me?"

Churchill sighed, taking another puff of his cigar. "When I rang you a month ago, I must admit, I had my doubts. The Ironsides seemed too good to be true."

The Doctor leapt on that. "Yes! Right! So destroy them! Exterminate them!" Lyssa glanced up at him with wide, worried eyes. He didn't notice.

"But imagine what I could do with a hundred! A thousand!" Churchill said dreamily.

"I am imagining!" the Doctor retorted, his eyes pained. "But I don't have to."

"I've seen what you could do with that many," Lyssa cut in sharply, everyone turning to her. "Not just what might happen, what did happen, just a few short decades from now. They tried their very hardest to destroy London, and gave a good shot at the rest of the world, too."

Amy stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

It was the Doctor's turn to stare at her. "Amy? You don't remember Canary Wharf? Daleks and Cybermen all over? Ghosts in the streets?"

Amy frowned. "Why would I remember anything about Daleks? And what're Cybermen?"

"They invaded your world, remember?" the Doctor asked incredulously. "Planets in the sky, you don't forget that sort of thing! Amy... tell me you remember the Daleks."

The Scottish girl shook her head. "Nope. Sorry."

"But Lyssa remembers! Why don't you remember?" The Doctor turned desperately to her. "You remember it, right, Lyssa? The Daleks?"

She shivered. "Yeah, and I wish I didn't. They're all too real, and they're extremely hostile to every single life form that is not a Dalek. They kill without mercy."

Churchill didn't seem too concerned as he led them into a map room, where several female officers were bent over a table covered with maps, moving the figures on the maps as required. "They kill the Germans without mercy, and that's all that matters to me."

The Doctor glared as a Dalek silently wheeled past them. "They're up to something, but what is it? What are they after?" he muttered.

"Well, let's just ask, shall we?" Amy decided, strolling up to the Dalek and ignoring their worried commands for her to come back. Tapping on its dome, she leaned backwards as the eyestalk swung around to focus on her.

" **May I be of assistance?** " it asked robotically as her friends watched in worry.

"Oh. Yes. Yes! See, my friend reckons you're dangerous. That you're an alien. Is it true?" she asked curiously.

" **I am your soldier,** " it answered simply.

She nodded emphatically. "Yeah. Got that bit. Love a squaddie. What else, though?"

" **Please excuse me, I have duties to perform,** " it announced, rolling away.

Lyssa blinked. "Did it just awkward slide her?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "You spend too much time on the internet." Striding over to Churchill, he plucked the cigar from his mouth. "Winston. Winston, please!"

"We are waging total war, Doctor!" Churchill rebutted, unmoved. "Day after day, the Luftwaffe pound this great city like an iron fist."

"Just wait til the Daleks get started," the Doctor retorted warningly.

"Men, women and children slaughtered. Families torn apart. Wren's churches in flames," the Prime Minister continued.

"Try the earth in flames!" the Doctor said desperately.

"I weep for my country, I weep for my empire. It is breaking my heart," he declared, moving further around the table and pushing another Dalek figure further into the map of Europe.

"But you're resisting, Winston!" the Doctor exclaimed, following him. "The whole world knows you're resisting! You're a beacon of hope."

Churchill accepted another clipboard and signed it. "But for how long? Millions of innocent lives will be saved if I use these Ironsides now!"

" **Can I be of assistance?** "

Lyssa jumped at the unexpected sound and stifled a shriek, Amy looking at her uncomprehendingly, while the Doctor just rounded on the Dalek. "Shut it!" he ordered, turning back to Winston. "Listen to me. Just listen! The Daleks have no conscience, no mercy, no pity. They are my oldest and deadliest enemy. You cannot trust them!"

Lyssa gasped, expecting them to suddenly reveal their plan and kill some more innocent people, but nothing happened. But she very clearly remembered that he could not say their names, or they would use it to rebuild their species. Or - no. He couldn't identify _them_ as Daleks. He seemed to be thinking along similar lines, because he shot her an apologetic look before turning back to Churchill, who appeared to be completely unmoved.

"If Hitler invaded hell, I would give a favorable reference to the Devil! These machines are our salvation!" He looked up when a siren sounded. "Oh, the all-clear. We are safe. For now."

The Doctor remained behind as he left, staring down the Dalek until it, too, left. Then he turned to Lyssa. "Sorry, I forgot and said their name. I didn't mean to, but it slipped out. I'm not used to the threat coming in the form of saying their name alone."

"Why can't you say their name?" Amy frowned. "We've all been saying it all along."

Lyssa shook her head. "It's not your fault, and don't worry. I didn't get it quite right. You can say the word, but you can't identify them as Daleks. That's what they need. Anyone else can, except possibly me..." She trailed off. "Do they know who I am? I mean, like they know you?"

The Doctor thought about it for a minute before shrugging unhappily. "Probably. I try my best to keep you out of the history books, and there's an excellent reason for that, which I can't tell you yet, I'm sorry, but anyways, yes, they most likely do. You've been beside me for so long, I can't tell you how long exactly, but it's been a while, and you're always with me. I can't hack their pathweb, so it's permanently in their database. In fact, you're probably at a similar threat level to me, if for no other reason than because you've been with me every time I've faced them down."

She sucked in a breath. "So, I probably can't either, just in case." She rubbed her temples with her hands, groaning. "I think I can tell you this, though. They need you, or possibly me, apparently, to identify them as Daleks, because their system recognizes you as an official enemy, or something like that."

"But what does that have to do with...?"

"Something's wrong with them, to the point that their ship, or system, or whatever, no longer recognizes them as Daleks. If you tell them that they're Daleks, the system will accept them then."

The Doctor sighed, running his hands through his hair once more. "Because it recognizes me. So I can't identify them. But I still have to convince Winston of the dangers. But he won't believe me, unless..."

"Doctor?" Amy asked after a minute of silence. "It's the all clear. Are you okay? Are you sure that these Daleks are the problem? I mean, I think I would remember something like that attacking our skies, or whatever."

"Yeah, so would I," he muttered, grabbing an officer's cap from a nearby table and twisting it in his hands. "What does hate look like, Amy?"

"Hate?" she repeated.

"It looks like a Dalek. And I'm going to prove it." He tossed the hat on a table and stalked out of the room.

* * *

 **A/N: *Sigh* It's been so long since I've seen the Season 5 Doctor - he's so young and adorable there, it almost makes me sad how much he changes in the next two seasons. :( He's still awesome though, so there is that...**

 **And we're finally back to a regular episode after over 2 months! (I counted - it's been ten chapters since the Curse of the Black Spot). I rather like this episode, though, and I think it should be an interesting enough way to get back into it... ;D**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed (We have officially reached 200 favorites! Yay! You guys are awesome!) and shout-out to afionna262, Fakira, and gabumon7 for reviewing! :)**

 ** _afionna262: Yay! I'm always glad to hear that people loved a chapter. Especially the fluffy ones, lol. I hope you don't stay murdered, though... might make daily life a bit difficult. Thank you for an awesome review, it was really encouraging, and I hope you liked this one (even if it's nowhere near as fluffy, sorry)_**

 ** _Fakira: No worries. If you think that's bad, sometimes I'll forget something someone literally just said - or something that I just said. So no worries about that. We can be bad memory buddies together. (we'll both forget the club meeting dates, though). I'm glad to hear you liked the chapter! (And 42 chapters all filled with amazing readers! Woot! I'm glad you ended with a happy emotion. That's always the best way to finish it. You're waiting for the next charm? What makes you think there'll be another charm? *angelic face that is totally unbelievable* Charm? Where? When? Idk, it's not like I plan these out or anything... ;D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _gabumon7: Yay! Not crying is good (at least for that chapter, because I meant for it to be happier over all). And I couldn't resist the apple reference, lol. I'm glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked this one! :)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	44. Chapter 44- Victory of the Daleks part 2

Lyssa and Amy scurried after the Doctor as he stalked into Bracewell's lab, a determined expression on his face. Bracewell looked up from his desk when they came in, looking politely confused while a few other technicians remained focused on their work.

"All right, Prof!" the Doctor announced, peering into files and under various blueprints lying around. "The PM's been filling me in. Amazing things, these Ironsides of yours. Amazing. You must be very proud of them."

"Just doing my bit," Bracewell said modestly, shifting a few of his papers around and adding a new one to the stack.

Amy picked up a wrench from a nearby table and examined it, turning it back and forth in her hands. "Not bad for a Paisley boy."

"Yes, I thought I detected a familiar cadence, my dear," Bracewell smiled at her before turning to Lyssa. "And yet your accent is perhaps the more remarkable. Not many Americans visit in such turbulent times, unless they wish to join our forces. They are friendly to us on the down low, so to speak, but attempt to remain neutral for the time being."

Lyssa shrugged, watching the Doctor flop into a chair and begin flipping through a file marked as top secret. "Give it time. Things'll get a move on soon enough. And either way, I'm just here with the Doctor."

Bracewell nodded. "Ah, yes. If you don't mind my asking, how did you and he meet? The Prime Minister is quite effusive of you both whenever the subject comes up."

Lyssa blinked. "Oh. Well, this is the first time I've actually met him, so I don't know what I've done to make him like me so much. But I met the Doctor when I randomly appeared in the TARDIS. At least, that's when I met him. Still don't know when he met me, but that's life when you're both time travelers, right, Doctor?"

The Doctor didn't smile. She wasn't sure he had even heard her, he was so focused on Bracewell. "How did you do it? How did you come up with the idea?"

"How does the muse of invention come to anyone?" the inventor deflected poetically.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at him, tossing the file onto the desk behind him. "But you get a lot of these clever notions, do you?"

Bracewell shrugged. "Well, ideas just seem to teem from my head! Wonderful things! Like... let me show you." He got up and pulled a handful of files from a nearby stack, spreading them out to show them various designs. "Some musings on the potential of hypersonic flight. Gravity bubbles that could sustain life outside of the terrestrial atmosphere! Came to me in the bath," he chuckled.

The Doctor frowned, carefully going through the stack, although Amy appeared much less suspicious. "And are these your ideas, or theirs?"

The professor shook his head vehemently. "No, no, no, no. These robots are entirely under my control, Doctor. They are..." He broke off as a Dalek brought him tea on a tray, the Doctor looking entirely weirded out by such a phenomenon. "Thank you... the perfect servant, and the perfect warrior."

"I don't know what you're up to, Professor, but whatever they've promised, you cannot trust them! Call them what you like, the Daleks are death!" the Doctor swore.

"Yes, Doctor," Churchill agreed, entering the room with another Dalek close behind him. "Death to our enemies! Death to the forces of darkness, and death to the Third Reich!"

"Yes, Winston," the Doctor agreed as if the man were an idiot before snapping, "And death to everyone else, too!"

He paused for breath when the Dalek behind Churchill rolled up to them. " **Would you care for some tea?** " it offered. Lyssa glanced warily at the Doctor, who seemed about ready to blow. And blow he did.

He smacked the tray, causing it and the cup to fall to the floor and shatter, spilling tea on the floor. "Stop this! What are you doing here? What do you want?" he demanded harshly.

" **We seek only to help you,** " the Dalek retorted.

"To do what?"

" **To win the war.** "

"Really?" the Doctor seemed to calm, though his voice was still very dangerous. "Which war?"

" **I do not understand,** " the Dalek stated.

"This war, against the Nazis? Or your war? The war against the rest of the Universe? The war against all life-forms that are not Dalek?" the Doctor spat, growing heated again. Lyssa bit her lip, watching him carefully. This entire situation hung on tenterhooks, and neither Amy, Churchill, nor Bracewell seemed inclined to help.

" **I do not understand. I am your soldier,** " the Dalek repeated.

The Doctor chuckled darkly. "Oh, yeah? Okay." He turned around grabbed a giant wrench off the table. "Okay, soldier. Defend yourself!" he shouted, taking a swing at the Dalek. All of them jumped at the resounding clang as he kept striking the Dalek, Bracewell and Churchill protesting his actions.

"Stop it! Prime Minister, please!" Bracewell pleaded.

"Doctor, please, these machines are precious!" Churchill complained, their efforts making no difference as the Doctor continued to glare at the Dalek.

"Come on! Fight back! You know you want to!" he shouted, the Dalek making only token protests against his actions.

"Doctor, I must protest," Bracewell said indignantly. "Why are you trying to harm them?"

" **Please desist from striking me,** " the Dalek said robotically. " **I am your soldier.** "

The Doctor's face twisted with hate. "You are my enemy!" He punctuated each word with a hit. "And I am yours! You are everything I despise! The worst thing in all creation. I've defeated you. Time and time again, I've defeated you. I sent you back into the Void! I saved the whole of reality from you! I am the Doctor! And you -"

"Doctor!" Lyssa shouted, cutting him off sharply. He jerked his head to her, breathing heavily. "Remember what I said?"

He nodded once, dropping the heavy wrench on the floor with a resounding clang and returning his gaze to the Dalek. "I am the Doctor. And you... are not going to win. Not this time," he swore, glaring at the creature before turning away, clenching his hands into fists.

Lyssa waited as the Dalek turned its eyestalk to watch him, before swiveling back to regard her. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end underneath its assessing gaze, but said nothing, only turning away to join the Doctor as Amy wandered around the room. He was clutching the back of a chair when she got there, his knuckles nearly white under the tension.

"You all right?" she asked softly.

He chuckled bitterly. "No. Of course not. How could I be? They're back, but no one except for us knows how evil they are - what they are. And if we don't stop them, they could kill everyone in this city. The Cult of Skaro wasn't joking when they said they could wipe out all the Cybermen with one Dalek."

His grip on the chair tightened until the metal started to bend under his strength. "These are nowhere near as powerful, they've been beat up and ravaged by time, but they're still strong enough that they could kill hundreds of innocent people if we don't do something." He seemed to struggle for words, releasing a heavy sigh and sagging his head and shoulders. "Why don't they just listen to me?" he whispered at last.

Lyssa could only watch him sadly. "I don't know. Maybe... maybe they're doing something, some sort of perception filter, or something, that makes them seem harmless to the Allies? And it doesn't work on us, because neither of us are exactly human anymore?" The words felt weird just saying them, but the Doctor shook his head anyways.

"No. You'd still feel some sort of influence then, and perception filters can influence us as well, unless we're being very careful. You're still mostly human at this point, just a little bit extra to help you hold - that - safely," he edited, glaring at the Dalek as it rolled by, another cup of tea on a tray. "And these people..." He sighed. "These people are desperate for anything to give them an edge over the Germans. You heard Winston. Whatever it takes. Never mind that it could get them all killed in the end."

Lyssa cocked her head to the side. "Do you need a hug?" she offered, holding her arms out. "Because it's supposed to help reduce stress. Or something like that."

The Doctor chuckled wearily, shaking his head before smiling tiredly at her and accepting, burying his head in her neck. "Thanks, fairy-girl. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Have less hugs?" Lyssa offered, her grin audible in her voice. "Get into even more trouble than you already do? Not have me around to make fun of you for disliking apples?"

The Doctor pulled back to scowl down at her, though she could see the laughter in his eyes. "Oh, sure, make fun of me for a legitimate and rational dislike - not phobia, mind you - of apples! So rude. And, I feel the need to point out that you get into just as much trouble as I do, so don't go blaming me for your unfortunate inclinations."

Lyssa smirked at him and stepped away, only then noticing the lack of redheads in the room. "Uh-oh. Speaking of attracting trouble and not listening to you, I think we lost Amy."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Typical Scottish," he grumbled under his breath. "Jamie was the same way. Always getting into trouble."

"Jamie?"

"Jamie McCrimmon. A companion back when I was in my second face. Good old Jamie. He was a fine chap. But now is not the time for reminiscing, I'm afraid. There's Daleks about, and a Scot on the loose in the Cabinet War Rooms. I'm not sure London can handle it."

Lyssa snorted. "You go right, I go left? She probably hasn't gone too far, at least."

He nodded. "But fairy-girl?" He caught her hand before she could leave. "Please be careful. I mean it."

She nodded. "I will. Don't think they'll try anything until they get what they want, though. I'll come back here once I've checked the map room."

"And I'll check Churchill's office. She can't have gone too far," the Doctor decided, going with her to the door, leaving Churchill arguing quietly with Bracewell as they split up in the hallway.

Lyssa methodically checked each room until she came to the map room, sighing in relief when she saw Amy in there chatting with another soldier. "Pond!" she scolded, marching in and ignoring the start the other soldier gave, his face hidden in the shadows. "You should know better than to just wander off like that, especially given the circumstances!"

Amy scoffed, strolling back over to her. "Nothing's going to happen. You and the Doctor stopped it, whatever it was."

Lyssa shook her head. "Temporarily. They're still some of the most hostile, dangerous creatures in existence! Now, come on, we have to get back to the Doctor!"

A beam shot out from behind her and hit the soldier Amy had been talking to, sending him crashing to the floor, dead. In an instant, another two officers fell as several more beams shot out and screams filled the room.

She spun around and immediately jerked her head back, throwing her hands up in the air as she came face-to-face with a Dalek. "Don't shoot!"

"What is the meaning of this?" one of the aides demanded, coming around the table glaring at the Dalek, a hand resting on his gun. "Disarm yourself at once or you'll be deactivated!"

"No, don't -!" Lyssa started, but it was too late, and with a scream, the aide was shot and killed like the rest of his companions. "You didn't have to kill him!" she shouted, flinching when the eyestalk came back around to regard her.

" **Neither did we have to let him live,** " it said coldly. " **We are the master race, and all others will be exterminated! Exterminate! Exterminate!** " It fired wildly around the room, killing another soldier and eliciting screams from the few living people remaining, hiding as best as they could underneath the tables.

"Then why are we still here?" Lyssa shouted, drawing its attention back to her. "Why are Amy and I still alive? What do you need us for?"

" **Amelia Pond is an associate of the Doctor. It has long been known that the Doctor will surrender to protect his associates.** "

"And what about me? Why am I still here, then? You didn't mention me."

"Lyssa, maybe don't ask the killer robots why you're still alive," Amy hissed from her position in the corner, her hands still protectively over her head.

" **The Doctor has identified you as the 'Fairy-girl', the companion of the Doctor since time began. Also known as the Child of Time. This is not where you die,** " the Dalek said simply.

Lyssa frowned, taken aback. "So you can't kill me here, because my death's a fixed point in time, or you know me at a later date, or what? Something that has to happen, and it can't happen here? Still doesn't answer the question. Why am I here?"

" **You are here because you have the power to return us to life.** "

"Wait, what?" Lyssa stared at the Dalek, now completely confused. "I don't think I do."

" **We are weakened by time and war. Even now, our power will not last us much longer. As the Child of Time, if you identify us, the Progenitor will recognize us and the Daleks will return to life! You will restore the Daleks! Restore the Daleks!** " it screeched.

Lyssa took a deep breath, trying to make sense out of the last few minutes. "You're telling me that the Progenitor will recognize me as an enemy on level with the Doctor, so you can create more of yourselves?"

" **Affirmative. The Child of Time has long been known as a threat to the existence of Daleks. That is why you will restore us to our full power. Restore! Restore!** "

Her heart nearly beating out of her chest, Lyssa cast an apologetic glance at Amy, who seemed to know what she was going to say before she said it. "I will not," she said as firmly as she could when her legs were threatening to give out beneath her.

" **Then your companion will be exterminated!** " the Dalek threatened, aiming its gun at the Scottish girl, who flinched back into the wall. " **You will comply, or Amelia Pond will be exterminated!** "

Lyssa scoffed, feigning indifference. "You'll kill her anyways if I do. Along with everyone else in this city! You're a Nazi encased in a metal shell, killing everyone who doesn't meet your imperfect standards of perfection. Why should I, when you'll just 'exterminate' everyone anyways?"

" **The Child of Time has sympathy regarding the Doctor's companions and those she regards as innocent. You will not allow them to be exterminated when you can prevent it,** " the Dalek retorted.

Lyssa nodded shakily. "That's right. I will not allow innocent people to be exterminated when I can prevent it. Which is why I'm not going to allow you to create more of yourselves so you can exterminate the universe!"

" **We will destroy this city and everyone in it. You will be responsible for the deaths of millions if you do not surrender,** " it threatened. " **Even weakened we are still capable of exterminating this city and more before the Doctor can stop us.** "

"I wouldn't be the one firing now, would I?" she retorted. "You're forcing me to choose between Earth or the universe. How can I choose when either means death for millions of innocent lives? She turned to look at Amy unhappily. "Sorry, Pond. Guess this means you might not get to visit another planet after all."

Amy stared at her with frightened eyes. "But I can't die here! This is the past! I can't die before I was even born, can I?"

Lyssa shook her head apologetically. "Time travel. You can be born in the twentieth century and die in the nineteenth. As long as it's not a fixed point in time, you can die anywhere, and time will simply reshape around it. They can wipe out life as we know it in the future, and if we go back, everything we know will be different. But they'll be dead, too. And soon, I wager. The last of the 'Master Race', gone with the Earth. But if I or the Doctor recognize them as what they are, they'll be restored to full power. They can capture the TARDIS at full power, Amy. They'll have access to every point in time and space, and everything else on that ship that they can never have. It's us, or the universe.

"An impossible choice," she realized slowly, memories of the Doctor she had just seen filling her head, raging against his fate. "I could kill my people, or potentially doom the universe." She swallowed hard, glancing around the room. At Amy, huddled in the corner. The bodies lying still and limp on the floor. The few survivors, praying desperately in their hiding spots.

"But I'm not the first person to make that choice, am I? To choose between the many or the few, no matter how much it hurts. But that's why he travels, Amy. That's our life. It's not just fun, or being smart. It's standing up and making a decision because nobody else will, or can."

"Then do it," Amy ordered.

Lyssa's head snapped up. "What?"

Amy shrugged, a weak smile gracing her frightened face. "I've already seen a spaceship. Been to the future, too. Not many can say they've done that before they die. And if it's us or the universe? Can't say it's much of a choice. We're not worth the universe. Let them die. The Doctor will stop them."

Lyssa nodded in acceptance of her choice, turning back to the Dalek. "I will never help you. And the Doctor will find a way to stop you, trust me on that."

" **Then Amelia Pond will be the first to die,** " it announced, swiveling to face Amy and firing. She screamed and fell back into the wall, sliding down to the floor.

Still alive.

And the soldier that had been talking to her before, already shot once, fell down to the ground again from his position covering her, dead, his limp body rolling over to reveal someone very familiar to her.

Jack Harkness.

"What?" Amy stammered, eyes flicking between him and the Dalek. "How did he - I thought he was dead!"

" **You are all dead,** " the Dalek stated. " **He has simply reached that state first. Will you surrender now?** " it asked Lyssa. " **Or would you prefer that more humans die?** "

She clenched her fists. "Never give up, never give in. That's what he swore, and that's what I'm going to do, too. You can do what you like to me," she swore shakily, her breathing uneven. "You can blow this entire continent to bits. But I will never help you."

" **If you will not give us your words, we will simply take what we need,** " the Dalek announced, advancing on her.

She backed up, suddenly feeling much more lost. "What? What do you mean? Take what?"

" **The energy that runs through your veins can restore our systems and return us to full strength. But be assured that the process to extract it will be long and painful. Do you still refuse?** " it asked her.

Her hands shaking almost as badly as her legs now, she somehow managed to stay upright, even with her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears. "Then do it. It'll just give the Doctor more time to stop you," she spat. "Amy, tell Churchill he's got to destroy every streetlight, everything that's capable of producing light outside. Doesn't matter how, it has to be physically incapable of doing so! Jack will help you when he wakes up, I hope. And tell the Doctor I'm sorry. Please."

" **So be it,** " the Dalek announced. " **The Child of Time is captured, and the Daleks will be reborn! Return to the ship for the energy extraction,** " it ordered its fellow Daleks, wherever they were. Then it placed its plunger against her back, and everything blurred into a shimmery mess.

When her vision cleared again, she was standing immobilized in the middle of a raised pad, some sort of translucent bubble around her. The Dalek was on the other side, extending its plunger to some controls.

"Hold on, what are you - what are you doing?" she demanded shrilly, trying to move her head to see when something whirred above her, but unable to move. "What are you doing?"

" **Initiating extraction process,** " it announced as the other two Daleks appeared in a shimmer of light.

Lyssa could only watch with wide eyes as two wires that tapered off into something resembling needles appeared in her line of vision. She cried out when they plunged into the inside of her wrists, wrapping around her arms. Within moments, they began to glow a faint gold, and she felt something tugging within her.

"What are you doing?" she cried again, struggling to move to no avail. "This isn't going to work! Let me go!"

" **The process is working,** " Dalek One rebutted. " **The energy is being channeled to the power reserves. Increasing the energy intake.** "

All the breath whooshed out of her like she'd been punched in the stomach, the tugging sensation increasing as the gold covering the wires became more pronounced. "How are - you doing - this?" she gasped, fighting for air.

" **The techniques were refined during the Time War. When we learned that you had survived, we implemented them in our ship. Now, the one responsible for our destruction will bring about our renewal,** " Dalek Two answered.

Lyssa didn't hear what it said next, her vision washing over with gold as she seemed to be transported to another Dalek ship. There, it was the Twelfth Doctor who was screaming as a golden energy was pulled from him - an energy that he deliberately gave up because he could use it to wake up the Daleks below in the sewers. He overloaded the systems and outsmarted the Daleks. But why was she seeing that now?

She snapped back to the present with a gasp, the edges of her vision still flashing gold. "You should - stop while you - still can," she tried to warn them breathlessly, the immobilization field the only reason she was still standing. "This isn't - going to - end well for you. It can't."

" **This will only end negatively for the enemies of the Daleks. The Progenitor will return us to full power with the energy of the Child of Time. The final phase commences. Divert power to the Progenitor,** " Dalek One ordered. Through a haze of gold she could see one of the Daleks extend its plunger to a control panel, and then the tugging sensation increased once more. She fought against it as much as she could, but to no avail.

"You should listen to her, you know." The cold voice cut into her blurry thoughts, and she lifted her heavy lids - when had they closed? - trying to catch sight of the speaker. A tweed-clad figure slowly came into her line of vision, his body radiating a fury she could feel all the way inside her bubble. "She's being kind. Kinder than I would be. How bout that cuppa?" the Doctor mocked.

" **It is the Doctor! Exterminate! Exterminate!** " Dalek One screeched.

"Wait, wait, wait! I wouldn't if I were you!" The Doctor pulled a small object out of his pocket and held it up threateningly in one hand, although she couldn't make out what it was. "TARDIS self-destruct. And you know what that means. My ship goes, you all go with it."

" **You would not use such a device with the Child of Time on board. History indicates that you are weaker when she is present,** " Dalek Two rebutted, though it didn't exactly seem confident in its assertion, and actually rolled back a foot or two.

"Try me," the Doctor said darkly. Dalek One, evidently not believing him, began to move forward, but the Doctor held up the object once more. "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. No scans! No nothing! One move and I'll destroy us all, you got that? TARDIS bang-bang, Daleks boom!"

He threw his arms open wide, and the Dalek rolled backwards. "Good boy." Keeping the object aloft, he took a look at their control panel. "This ship's pretty beaten up - running on empty, I'd say, like you. When we last met, you were at the end of your rope. Finished."

" **One ship survived,** " Dalek Two said needlessly.

The Doctor nodded. "And you fell back through time, yes? Crippled? Dying?"

" **We picked up a trace. One of the Progenitor devices.** "

"Progenitor?" The Doctor wrinkled his nose at the unfamiliar word. "And what's that when it's at home?"

" **It is our past. And our future.** "

"Ohhh, that's deep. That is deep for a Dalek," he mocked. "What does it mean, though?"

" **It contains pure Dalek DNA. Thousands were created, all were lost, save one,"** the Dalek answered.

"Okay, but there's still one thing I don't get, though - if you've got the Progenitor, why build Bracewell?" Lyssa frowned, something piercing her hazy thoughts at the mention of the Scottish inventor. Something was different about him. Something - bad. But she didn't have the thoughts to spare for that, her limited focus divided between the Doctor and her situation.

" **It was... necessary,** " Dalek Two said at last, sounding as though it pained it to say it.

"But why?" He paused. "I get it. Oh, I get it! I get it. Oh, ho, this is rich!" The Doctor laughed without humor. "The Progenitor wouldn't recognize you, would it? It saw you as impure, the DNA is unrecognizable as Dalek."

" **A solution was devised,** " Dalek Three retorted.

The Doctor dropped his smile in an instant, radiating such an intense darkness that all three of the Daleks rolled back a few steps. "Yes, yes, yes. Me. My testimony. So you set a trap, you knew that the Progenitor would recognize me. The Daleks' greatest enemy! It would accept my word. My recognition of you. But - Lyssa warned me about that. So I didn't - and so you went for the next best thing. Steal the energy from my fairy-girl to power your device and enable it to recognize you as Daleks, and kill her at the same time. A win-win from your perspective."

Dalek Two turned back to the control panel. "No, no, no, what are you doing?" the Doctor shouted, waving the object aloft in the air again.

" **Withdraw now, Doctor, or the city dies in flames,** " it threatened.

"Who are you kidding?" the Doctor scoffed. "This ship is a wreck, you don't have the power to destroy London. And all the power you've taken from Lyssa has been diverted to your Progenitor. Which is a very bad idea, I have to say. Not because I'll stop you - though I will - but because you're draining all of Lyssa's energy."

" **Watch as the humans destroy themselves,** " the Dalek declared, extending its plunger to the control panel. Lyssa couldn't see what happened next, as another sudden loss of energy left her hanging limply against her invisible restraints, feeling dizzy and light-headed. When things came partially back into focus, the Doctor was pounding on the bubble surrounding her.

"Let her go! Release her this instant!" the Doctor demanded furiously, swinging on the Daleks. "Turn London off, and release her this instant, or I swear I will use the TARDIS self-destruct."

" **You would not risk killing the only companion whose bloodshed may equal yours,** " Dalek One declared. " **Stalemate, Doctor. Leave us, and return to Earth.** "

"Wouldn't I?" the Doctor questioned softly. Dangerously. "If leaving her means abandoning her to a long and painful death, and saving the Daleks to boot? Check your records, if any still exist. The Fall of Arcadia. Mentions of Lyssa Devons. The last days of the Time War. How did it end?" he snapped. "She was willing to let herself and everyone else on Earth die to save the universe. Who do you think she learned that from?"

There was silence for a long moment, broken only by Lyssa's soft pants and then a whooshing sound, followed by a soft thrumming. " **We have succeeded. DNA reconstruction is complete," Dalek Three announced. "Observe, Doctor, a new Dalek paradigm!** "

Her chest heaving, Lyssa managed to raise her head as five new Daleks, each a bright color, came rolling out of a cubicle into the room. " **The Progenitor has fulfilled our new destiny. Behold, the restoration of the Daleks! The resurrection of the master race! All hail the new Daleks! All hail the new Daleks!** " the three old Daleks began to chant in unison

Lyssa didn't listen to the rest of the ensuing conversation, closing her eyes and trying to remember what she had seen. Why had Tirdis shown it to her? At least, she assumed it had been her. But it must have been important. The Doctor had used his regeneration energy to overload the systems, by giving it to them. They'd taken more than they needed, and their systems couldn't handle it. Maybe... maybe she could do the same thing.

She cast a glance at her hands. Gold was still spiraling from them into the wires, no doubt to either build more Daleks or help repair the ship. If she could speed up the process, force too much energy into their systems at once, maybe she could do some damage. The only question was how...

She tried to mentally stop fighting the pull, to force the energy out of her with her thoughts, but nothing happened. Then, unbidden, a memory popped into her head. On occasion, she could access the Time Vortex and see how things might go when she tried. Maybe if she tried to tap into it that way, then tried to push it out, it might work better.

She closed her eyes, trying to see how things might play out like she usually did. Only this time, all she could see was gold spiraling past her, only for a small branch of it to be diverted off into her body. An even smaller trickle of the golden stream pulled reluctantly out of her hands, presumably into the Dalek ship. If she could just manage to force out more than that small trickle, somehow.

Still nothing. She groaned, letting her head fall forwards once more. She had no more ideas, and could still feel the tugging sensation growing ever stronger, and could hear the Doctor arguing with the new Daleks outside her bubble. Unconsciously, her muscles began to relax as she stopped fighting completely, her mind starting to go blissfully blank.

And then she snapped awake with a gasp as her support suddenly gave way, sending her crashing to the ground. Or, at least, she would have, if strong arms hadn't wrapped around her at the last minute, lifting her up and hugging her to a familiar chest as the world flew by her until it was replaced by the comforting interior of the TARDIS.

"Lyssa! Lyssa, can you hear me? I'm sorry, but I don't have time to check you over properly!" She took a deep breath for the first time in what seemed like ages, rejoicing in the distinct lack of pain as the Doctor lowered her to the console room floor and darted over to the console, picking up some sort of microphone. "The Doctor to Danny Boy... The Doctor to Danny Boy. I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long. Over."

" _Good show, Doctor. Go to it. Over_ ," a British voice called back. The Doctor called back an affirmation, then frantically began working the console, pulling levers and typing in commands, sparing a worried glance for Lyssa every now and then. Something suddenly rocked the ship slightly, but she didn't have the energy to guess what it was, her awareness only slowly coming back to her. " _Danny Boy to the Doctor,_ " Came in the call a moment later. " _Going in for another attack._ "

The Doctor picked up the microphone. "The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. Destroy this ship! Over."

" _But what about you? And isn't your girl on-board?_ "

"I'll be okay. And I've got Lyssa," the Doctor assured him.

And all was silent for a few moments, until a white Dalek appeared on the monitor. " _ **Doctor! Call off your attack!**_ " it demanded.

"Ah-ha, what? And let you scuttle off back to the future? No fear. This is the end for you. The final end! Your ship is damaged, and I'm going to let them deal the final blow!" the Doctor snapped.

" _ **Call off the attack or we will destroy the Earth,**_ " the Dalek announced.

"I'm not stupid, mate!" the Doctor snapped. "You've just played your last card!"

" _ **Bracewell is a bomb,**_ " the Dalek stated simply.

The Doctor froze for a moment, his hand above a lever, but then he shook his head in denial. "You're bluffing. Deception's second nature to you. There isn't a sincere bone in your body. There isn't a bone in your body!"

" _ **His power is derived from an Oblivion Continuum! Call off your attack, or we will detonate the android,**_ " it threatened.

"No! This is my best chance ever! The last of the Daleks! I can rid the Universe of you, once and for all!" the Doctor cried desperately, his face torn.

" _ **Then do it,**_ " the Dalek challenged. " _ **But we will shatter the planet below! The Earth will die screaming!**_ "

"And if I let you go, you'll be stronger than ever. A new race of Daleks," the Doctor realized with horror.

" _ **Then choose, Doctor! Destroy the Daleks or save the Earth. Begin countdown of Oblivion Continuum! Choose, Doctor! Choose! Choose!**_ "

The Doctor stared at the monitor for a moment, his face twisted in hatred before he turned off the monitor and reluctantly picked up the microphone. "The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. Withdraw." He spat the words as though they burned him.

The microphone hissed not even a moment later. " _Say again, Sir. Over._ "

"Withdraw! Return to Earth! Over," the Doctor repeated. "There's no time to argue, you have to return to Earth, now!" Dropping the microphone, he frantically began inputting the coordinates for Earth. Swooping down and grabbing Lyssa, he wrapped one arm around her to hold her steady as the ship began to shake and wheeze.

Lyssa watched with wide eyes as her body began to glow a bright gold color as the rotor moved up and down, landing a moment later with a particularly hard thump. The Doctor carefully set her back down on the floor, darting over to the door. "Stay here! I have to defuse Bracewell!"

"Where am I gonna go? Ipswich?" she mumbled, rolling her eyes after him. Coughing, she tried to roll over and sit up, but stopped when she saw her hands. They were still glowing gold, despite the fact that the TARDIS had stopped. "Uh, old girl? What's going on? Why am I still glowing gold? Can you help me? Don't you have a voice interface or something like that?" Something flickered into appearance above her, taking on the appearance of Tirdis, although without the comforting smile she usually had. "Tirdis?"

"I am not Tirdis. I am the voice interface," the hologram said tonelessly. "I have been activated at your request."

"Oh. Okay," she panted. "Care to tell me what's going on? Why am I glowing? Am I about to jump? Is that it?"

"The amount of time stream energy in your system is insufficient to travel to another time period," the hologram announced.

"Is that why I feel so weak and awful?"

"The time stream energy is necessary for your body to function normally, as blood is for humans. Your body is struggling to replace what has been taken, but too much was depleted on-board the Dalek warship. It is unable to collect more energy at this time, and is forced to consume what remains to survive."

"Oh." Lyssa was silent for a minute, trying to grasp the concept. "So what happens now?"

The interface didn't hesitate. "You will continue to weaken as your body consumes what little energy there is left. If you do not receive more energy, you will die."

* * *

 **A/N: So, I think this is the furthest I've ever departed from Canon in an episode. And I didn't just depart from it - I'm pretty sure I just smashed it with a hammer, too. Let me know what you thought, I'll pick up the last bits of this episode in the next chapter. In the meantime, though, this chapter was over 6,000 words, and I hadn't ended on a cliffhanger on a while, so I thought it was time to sign off. (Even though we all know that I can't actually kill Lyssa off this early. It's the thought that counts, right?)**

 **Also, I am going to be getting my hair dyed for the first time ever this Wednesday with my sister (as a birthday present for her, we're getting it done together) and I'm both excited and nervous about it. On the one hand, I've been wanted to add a little bit of purple (at the bottom) to my hair for a long time, but on the other, I've literally never done anything - even highlights - to my hair before. :/ All well. Here's hoping it goes well...**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to jlawson, afionna262, BlushLover930, and Fakira for reviewing!**

 ** _jlawson: Yay! I'm glad you like it. :) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like the new chapter._**

 ** _afionna262: I'm excited to get back in the swing of things, too! I have a lot planned for the next few episodes. I'm really glad to hear that you liked it, and I hope you like this one -especially considering everything that I've changed. :/ I am so excited that you love my story this much. Thanks for reviewing! :)_**

 ** _BlushLover930: Thanks. :) Yeah, Lyssa has never been a Time Lord. Human from birth, no fob watch or anything like that. I'm glad to hear that you like it - seriously, it means a ton to me. I am still accepting guesses on the mystery people, and I have to say that your guess is probably the most well thought out of all of the guesses I've received, so congratulations on that. That is some very sound logic you have there. However, it's not completely correct (though, in another universe, it absolutely would be. I know. Confusing, right?) I'm not saying the woman is River, but if it were - the man wouldn't be her husband. Not in this universe. ;D Anyways, excellent guess, but you are unfortunately not correct. I'll still give you five stars for an amazingly well thought out guess. I gave you a pretty big hint in the answer, though, so feel free to use that to try and guess again. :) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 ** _Fakira: Tbh, I couldn't remember what we would be meeting for, at first. And then I did, and I was like - oh. *facepalm* My bad memory could possibly be a result of me walking into things, however. After many years of walking into doorframes and bookcases, I have come to the sad conclusion that I am not a graceful person. :P Anyways, yeah, we'll probably both be late for the meetings, lol. And moi? Try to trick one of my reviewers? Why on earth would I try and do a thing like that? (Your opinion is perhaps not necessarily needed, but it is very much wanted. I love the Eleventh Doctor too, although Ten holds a special place in my heart as well.) I'm glad to hear that you liked it. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa**


	45. Chapter 45 - Energy Rush

"I always feel so good after talking to you," Lyssa grumbled, raising a glowing hand to shove some of her hair out of her face. "I don't suppose there's a way to stop my body from consuming all my energy? Or to replace it, or something?"

The voice interface didn't respond, just flickered out of sight. A moment later, she heard a mechanical hiss and glanced over at the console. A small crack had appeared in one of the panels, and it lifted up slightly. A small trickle of bright white light came out the bottom, winding down to the floor and wrapping around her leg. She sucked in a breath, instantly feeling more alert as her energy seemed to rejuvenate.

Sitting up, she watched with wide eyes as the stream of white light wrapped itself further around her leg, disappearing into it. With every second that passed, the gold that seemed to emanate from her slowly began to fade more and more, until the only light came from the console.

"Is this like what happened to Margaret the Slitheen? Or Rose? This isn't going to be another Bad Wolf incident, is it?" she asked warily. The ship hummed in amusement, alleviating some of her fears. "Well, I suppose since you technically did this on purpose, and I'm not actually looking into the heart of the TARDIS, it's probably not gonna happen... right?"

There was another hum of amusement, but no other response. She continued to feel better as time passed, eventually only remaining seated on the floor because of the white light, though her fingers started tapping on her thigh as she began to feel more and more energetic with each passing second.

"This is an IV line, isn't it?" she said aloud after a few minutes of silence, where she was growing antsy. "You said I was basically running out of time stream energy, like a human who needed blood, so you're giving me a transfusion. A transfusion that has the power to turn me into one of the most powerful beings in creation if something were to go wrong. Yeah, that's normal. Nothing strange about that at all. Not in my life, at least. Wanna absorb the time vortex, Rose? Nah, we just did that last week. How about save the Earth from total extinction? No, we just did that last night."

She got the distinct impression that the TARDIS was laughing at her, and couldn't help a chuckle of her own. "I know, I know. I'm rambling, and it's all worth it in the end, anyways." She tilted her head at the steady flow of light, thinking for a minute, before poking it curiously. The stream appeared to be unaffected by it, twining around her hand and giving off a warm, ticklish sensation before returning to her leg. She amused herself by playing around with the light for a bit, watching it follow her hands around as she moved them.

It even moved with her when she stood up and experimentally began to move around, rejoicing when her body followed her commands this time. The stream followed her as she began to spin around the console, twirling when she did and filling the room with ribbons of light. She laughed with glee, running around the console several times, running through the light and leaving circles of it everywhere. She even ended up trying out a few dance routines before spinning into someone's chest.

She stumbled back a few steps, then looked up, rubbing her nose, to see the Doctor and Amy watching her curiously. "Oh! You're back! Yay!" She spun away from them, snickering at the shocked look on Amy's face as her gaze followed the streams of light around the room. "Yeah, I got a bit bored. Sorry. I don't think I broke anything, though. Well, not this time."

"Doctor?" Amy whispered, trying to be subtle. "What's going on?"

The Doctor's eyes flitted around the room before stopping on the cracked panel. "I'm not su- Ah. Amy, have you ever seen Lyssa on a sugar high?" The redhead shook her head. "Well, you're about to, I think. No inhibitions, high energy, and mood swings. How brave are you feeling?"

"Hey!" Lyssa stopped her twirling for a minute. "I resent that implication! I haven't had any sugar today. Matter of fact, I felt weak and exhausted up until just a few minutes ago. The voice interface told me too much of my energy had been drained on board the Dalek ship, and my body would be unable to replicate more, instead consuming what was left. Then she lifted up one of the panels and the light came out. I think it's supposed to be like an IV line. Is it an IV line?" She drew up short and cocked her head to the side. "You know what I want? An apple. I want an apple. And maybe some tea. The good kind, though, not the bitter stuff you like."

The Doctor nodded slowly, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and scanning her. "Amy, don't look at the panel. The light out here should be safe enough for you to look at, but don't look at the panel. I don't want to know what happens if a sassy Scottish girl looks into the heart of the TARDIS. Lyssa, are you feeling all right? No fever, sleepiness, general weakness?" He cupped her cheeks and searched her eyes clinically for any other symptoms.

The point of contact tickled, though, so she squirmed free and danced a few steps away, watching the light slowly fade from the room, and the panel fall back into place with a gentle click. "Something like forever ago while I waited for you to come back? Yes. Now? No. I started feeling better as soon as the light hit me, and now I'm wide awake!" She bounced a bit, then stopped, a look of disgruntled realization coming over her.

"Oh. Maybe I am on a sugar high. I haven't felt this uninhibited since the time I ate a box of donuts at one in the morning working on a school paper. It made for an interesting report. I got an A minus, and a note to take home." She made a face. "The crash was miserable, though." She paused. "Wait. There were Daleks out there! What happened to the Daleks? And Churchill? And Bracewell? And me?"

"Let's get you some food first, yeah?" he suggested. "Then we'll talk. You're getting a charge of time stream energy, but now you need to eat to help supplement it." He strung an arm around her shoulders, but she wriggled away almost immediately, mood dampening at his hurt look.

"Sorry. Feels really ticklish. Dunno why," she apologized as they moved towards the kitchens. "I mean, my shoulders are covered, and they're not ticklish anyways normally. But now it feels so weird and I can't help jerking away 'cause it's a reflex!"

The Doctor frowned, experimentally running a finger along her arm, before grinning wickedly when she shivered. She saw the look and glared at him. "Doctor, no!"

"Doctor, yes!" he countered, trailing a finger lightly along her ribs and snickering when she batted his hand away, fighting laughter before taking off down the hallways to the kitchen. He was quick to follow her, ending up in the kitchen a second after her.

"I declare a truce in the kitchen!" she shouted over her shoulder, already digging in the fridge and turning around with an apple and some cheese sticks. "Food's more important. And tea! Or, to be more accurate, sweet tea!" She giggled at the look of disgust on his face as she set about preparing the drink.

"Ugh! That's so... wrong," he complained. "Tea is meant to be hot. Not cold and filled with ice! And definitely not that sweet!"

"British," she teased, deliberately slurping from the glass and shaking it gently so that the ice clinked against the side.

"American," he rebutted, crossing his arms and slouching on a chair opposite her, Amy plopping down between them.

She grinned at him. "That's right, and I'm proud of it!" She clinked the ice some more. "So, come on, then. What actually happened? I'm a bit out of the loop here."

The Doctor sighed, leaning back in his chair as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, first of all, the Daleks wanted either you or me to identify them as such, and enable the progenitor to recognize them and create more Daleks. When that didn't work, they took you, hoping to use your energy to power their ships. It's a technique they learned from the Time War, stolen Time Lord technology and all that."

Lyssa nodded. "I remember that bit. I wanted to try and overload their systems, flood them with energy, but it didn't work."

The Doctor wrinkled his nose as she took a bite from the apple. "That's because the energy in you is not an offensive weapon. And it's meant to stay inside you. You can't force it out when it wants to stay in. But - _but_ , the Daleks got ahead of themselves. They wanted to get all your energy at once, completely power up their ship. They took too much, and overloaded their systems all on their own."

"Wait. Really?" Amy asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "They damaged their own ship?"

The Doctor snorted. "They almost destroyed their own ship," he corrected her. "Lyssa has the time stream running through her - she's literally connected to the power of the Time Vortex, and they tried to pull it all out. They couldn't handle all that power at the height of their strength in the Time War, there's no way they could handle it now. No, they damaged their ship even worse than it had been before, and that's saying something."

"But?" Lyssa prompted, seeing anger still very much present in his eyes.

"But," he continued, "they still escaped. Their ship may be damaged almost beyond repair, but there's still five Daleks, brand new, undamaged, powerful, and just as full of hate as the old ones, who are now somewhere out there in the universe. It might take them a bit, but they'll be able to repair their ship eventually, including the Progenitor. A whole new race of Daleks." He shook his head.

Lyssa swallowed her last bite of apple and set the core on the table, her wild energy subsiding as memories of the choice she had almost made came flooding back. "This is my fault, then." The Doctor's eyes flew up to hers, and he was shaking his head before she even continued, but she ignored him.

"I thought I was being so smart by refusing to give them what they wanted, or that I was making the right choice, even if it meant they would destroy the Earth, because the rest of the universe would live, and they would die off eventually. But they just took what they wanted anyways, and now they might have even more power than they would have had in the first place!"

The Doctor shook his head again. "Lyssa... Do you know what you did? By not giving them what they wanted, they were forced to take it instead. Which ended up destroying their ship. If either of us had identified them, there would be a whole fleet of Daleks, along with a fully restored ship. And their first target would have been the Earth. They would have been able to kill millions of people before I would have been able to to stop them, and that's assuming I would be able to stop them in the first place.

"One way or another, the Daleks would have gotten the energy they needed to create more, and escape. There was nothing we could have done to avoid this. But this way, they're weaker. They'll have to almost completely rebuild everything before they can attack anyone. And that, that is the best ending we could have hoped for. Not perfect, but you saved lots of innocent people."

"I wouldn't have, though," Lyssa whispered, staring at the table. "I thought they were just going to blow up the world, and then die, and I was okay with that. I would have been the reason that the Earth died. All those times we saved it, and I was just going to let it die."

The Doctor frowned. "Amy, would you mind giving us a mo'?"

She nodded, looking worriedly at Lyssa before standing up and exiting the room, stopping just before the doorway. "I told you to do it, Lyssa. Remember that. You weren't the only one to to tell them to go ahead," she said quietly before leaving.

Lyssa shook her head as soon as the redhead had left. "She was scared. She only agreed because I told her that there was no other way. I could have destroyed my whole planet, and I was just going to let it happen, because I thought that was the only way to stop them. I would have become - " she stopped, flushing deeply and turning her head away from him.

"Like me?" the Doctor asked quietly. "Someone who murdered their whole race?"

She shook her head tightly, shutting her eyes against the look of pain on his face. "That's not - that's not what I meant. You didn't murder your whole race. It was them, or the whole universe, and you had no other choice. I did. I could have just told them what they wanted, and they would have left, and yes, they would still be out there, but the universe might not have been destroyed because of it! I was willing to send my planet to its death unnecessarily, and I was perfectly okay with that!"

"If you were okay with that, you wouldn't be so torn up about it now that you remember it," the Doctor told her. "And as far as you knew, you had no other choice. You knew how dangerous the Daleks could be, and you wanted to stop them before they could hurt anyone else. Not to mention the whole," he waved his hand in the air, "create millions of ships that could wipe out the earth thing."

"That doesn't make it okay," Lyssa said quietly.

The Doctor was silent for a minute. "No. It doesn't." Lyssa shut her eyes tighter against the tears she could feel pricking them. "It should never have been an option, and that choice should never have been thrust upon you. We could have found another way to stop them, somehow. But -" Lyssa's head snapped up to look at him, eyes bright with unshed tears.

"But they would have fired upon the Earth as soon as they were at full power, killing millions. Your refusal meant that they had to take your energy, which cost them almost all their power and nearly destroyed their ship. Which meant that the only threat they had left was Bracewell, and I was able to neutralize the bomb in him, while still keeping him alive- with Amy's help," he admitted. "He's fine, and so is Winston - almost stole my TARDIS key, as a matter of fact, until Amy caught him.

"It seemed like the only option you had at the time, and it turned out to be the best choice we had. But I don't want you to make that choice again. I don't want you to _have_ to make that choice again." She had to strain to hear his last sentence. "I don't want you to become like me."

She frowned at him. "Doctor, you're the one who makes the hard choices when no one else can, or will. You're the one who saves as many lives as possible, and you're the one who spends your life helping people. If I can even come close to being like you, I can count my life well spent."

"Lyssa, I make the hard choices because I don't want others to have to. I don't want them to bear the burdens that I do. It's hard enough for me on most days, I don't want people I care about to share them with me."

She reached across the table and took his hand in hers, ignoring the tingling feeling. "Sometimes a burden is easier when its shared. Because you know what, Doctor? You're my best friend, and you've told me I'm yours. That means we don't let each other go through life alone, we don't let each other cry alone, and we definitely don't leave the other alone to carry their own burdens, or fight their own battles. We're right there with them."

He smiled, though it was more bitter than usual. "Yeah. You and me, we don't let the other fight alone. But I think you're about to go help some other version of me in the fight."

"What?" The Doctor nodded towards their intertwined hands, where hers was now glowing gold once more. "But the interface said that I was unable to jump, too much energy had been pulled out!"

"Yeah. And then she gave you a jumpstart with that light show back in the console room," the Doctor reminded her. "Gave you a nice boost, enough to send you into the Time Vortex where you should be able to fully recover before you land. Fair warning, you might be in there for a bit. Your system's been given quite a shock."

Lyssa rubbed her head with a hand as the room started to spin around her. "Fun. What about the sugar high I seemed to be on? Is that gone now?"

He shook his head. "It just temporarily went away while you focused on more serious matters. It'll come back soon enough, and then the crash. Tell my past self good luck when you see him. He'll need it."

"Hey!"

The last thing she saw was the grin on his face before everything faded into the swirling gold of the Time Vortex. And true to the Doctor's words, she was almost immediately enveloped in it and felt her energy return to her as it seemed to seep into her skin. Unfortunately, he was also right in that she was there for several hours at the least. And with her full alertness, she was also entirely bored.

The Time Vortex was beautiful, true, but spiral galaxies and twirling streams were nowhere near as fun when you had no one to share them with, and right then, she was feeling very lonely. After seven months with just the Doctor for company, she'd grown used to having someone around at almost all times, and in here, she was completely alone.

She went through every song she knew in her head, ran through all the multiplication tables, and balanced an imaginary checkbook before the swirling golds and reds slowly began to fade. She heaved a sigh of relief as the familiar metal of the Ninth Doctor's console room shimmered into being -

and immediately fell over.

"Oww," she grumbled, staggering to her feet as the TARDIS continued to shake and groan.

"Lyssa! You're here! And just in time, too. Lockin' onto some sort of signal!" the Doctor called, directing Rose to pull a lever on the console. "No, not that one, Rose, the green one!"

"You didn't say green, you said yellow!" the blonde protested, flipping the lever anyways. "Hullo, Lyssa! Where've you been, then?"

"Oh, you know, back to the future, and all that," she grinned, stumbling over to the console and grabbing on for safety. "What about you?"

"Benthol IV!" Rose announced proudly. "We may or may not have just escaped with our heads after the king tried to behead us. After, you know, declaring us heroes."

Lyssa frowned, trying to remember as the Doctor landed them with a flourish. "Oh, wait. Hang on, I remember now! That was just after the Slitheen, and we blew up 10 Downing Street! Yeah, and then I went and got this lovely charm." She tapped her snowflake with a grin, the Doctor smiling at her when he saw it.

Although now that she was still fresh from seeing him after the Time War, she could tell how much he was still hurting from that. "For me though, the last time I saw Rose was in the future, and the last time I saw you, Doctor, I'd just given you some apple seeds." She grinned cheekily at him.

He sucked in a breath, recognition dawning, before smiling a little bit brighter and pulling her into a tight hug. "I never really got the chance to say thank you for that. You helped me more than you'll ever know."

She returned the hug before bouncing back, a wide smile on her face. "Course! You're my best friend. Oh! I almost forgot! Your future self said to tell you good luck, cause you'll need it."

He eyed her carefully. "And why would I need that?"

She snickered, bounding over to hug Rose. "Because I may or may not have had to have the TARDIS replenish the time energy in my body, and then I spent ages in the Time Vortex before landing here, which means that I now have a surplus of energy in my body, which basically translates to me having a sugar high for some reason. Doesn't actually make sense how, but I forgot to ask him."

"Wait, why did the TARDIS have to replenish your time energy? And how'd she do that?" Rose asked curiously while the Doctor just blinked at her, trying to digest her words.

Lyssa grinned, hurrying over to the door and waiting for them to join her. "Because it got drained out. And I can't tell you how she did it, not yet. I think he'd have an aneurysm," she added, nodding at the Doctor. "Also, I think he said something about mood swings. Or was that me? I dunno. Anyways, where are we?"

The Doctor shook it off and stepped past her, pushing the door open and leading the way into some sort of open room, dimly lit. "Well, we were trying to see the birth of twin stars in the Zafron Galaxy, but something drew the TARDIS off course. Dunno what, though. Some sort of signal."

"Well, do you know where we are now?" Rose asked, shutting the TARDIS door behind her and stepping carefully to avoid walking into them.

"Earth, Utah, North America. About half a mile underground," the Doctor answered after a minute.

"Right. And... when are we?" Rose followed up.

"2012," the Doctor said with a smirk.

"Wow. That's so close, I should be... twenty-six," Rose realized.

"Wow, you're old," Lyssa teased. "For me, I'd be... gosh, I don't even know anymore. Fourteen? Fifteen?"

"Aww, and aren't you such a wee babe?" Rose crooned in return, clasping her hands near her face. "So young and adorable."

Lyssa snorted. "And yet I'm actually somehow older than you right now, Miss Still-A-Teenager. Time travel. Isn't it great?"

"Now, now, children, behave," the Doctor admonished them, flicking a switch and illuminating the room.

"Blimey! It's a great big museum!" Rose declared, staring at all the different displays and exhibits, all carefully locked up behind glass. Something about the room pinged Lyssa's memories, something very not good, if she could just remember what! She remembered this part very clearly, just not which episode it belonged to, nor which monster they would have to face this time.

"An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby. They must've spent a fortune on this. Chunks of meteorite, moon dust... that's the milometer from the Roswell Spaceship," the Doctor said in a tone of wonder, strolling between the exhibits without touching them, stopping by one with a stuffed green arm residing inside.

"That's a bit of Slitheen! That's a Slitheen's arm, it's been stuffed," Rose exclaimed.

But the Doctor wasn't paying attention anymore, making straight for a glass case behind the others, Lyssa following with an uncertain frown on her face. "Ah, look at you!"

"What is it?" Rose asked curiously, joining them. Lyssa, still glancing around the room unhappily, turned around and caught side of a Cyberman head, sitting still and silent in the case. She immediately fought back a scream and ducked behind the Doctor, who turned back to her worriedly.

"An old friend of mine... well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old. You all right, Lyssa?"

She sucked in a shaky breath, not taking her eyes off the exhibit, and nodded slowly. "Sorry. Had a very, very, bad experience with them recently. Not keen to be reminded of it too much. Sorry in advance if I start freaking out. You sure it's really dead?"

He nodded, reaching back to take her hand comfortingly, but Lyssa had already moved on, smacking her forehead with her free hand in an attempt to jar her memories on what this place really was.

"Positive. This thing's stone dead, the signal's not coming from here. The signal's alive, something reaching out." He placed the tip of his finger gently on the glass, and immediately an alarm began to blare, sending armed soldiers into the room, circling around the three of them and aiming their guns at them.

"If someone's collecting aliens, then that makes you Exhibit A," Rose said quietly, all three of them putting their hands up in the air.

The Doctor flashed a large, unworried grin at the soldiers. "Take me to your leader!"

* * *

 **A/N: What's this? An update before the wee hours of the morning? Can it be?**

 ***Sigh* If someone could tell the characters to please listen to me, that would be very much appreciated. This chapter was not where I originally planned on taking it at all, but this is where they insisted on being, so... what can you do? (Apparently nothing, when it comes to a hyped-up Lyssa).**

 **Also, if any of you feel that you have strange injuries, worry no longer about being alone. I just sliced my finger open - and deep - on a cardboard box. _Cardboard_. I put my fingers underneath to pick it up, and put a nice, deep slice in the top of my finger, which of course makes it difficult to bandage. :P**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to TheProtectorOfHim, jlawson, gabumon7, Fakira, and afionna262 for reviewing! The support and response I've gotten to this story has been phenomenal, and I can't tell you all how much I appreciate it!**

 ** _TheProtectorOfHim: Hahaha, I can't actually kill Lyssa off this chapter. What kind of story would this be where I kill off the main chapter every so often and keep bringing them back? Who'd enjoy that? I bet no one would. (I'm gonna wait to kill her off until the end of this book. Book 2 will just be credits). And thank you for the vote of confidence on my hair! I love what they did with it, and I might just go back to keep it fresh in a month or two. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _jlawson: Thanks! I have lots of original adventures planned for this... idk, storyline? Cause it's gonna be at least two books, possibly three, depending on where I end this book. And I'm glad that you're liking it so far- I try to keep the characters in character as much as possible, even though I'm not very good at it, so it's nice to know that I haven't failed too horribly, lol. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 ** _gabumon7: Yay! I was a little worried how it would flow. Hope the semi-resolution to the cliffhanger didn't disappoint. I know there wasn't too much that happened this chapter, but Lyssa's definitely going to be dealing with a "sugar rush" (aka, lowered inhibitions and mood swings) for this episode, which should make a few things interesting... There will be more canon deviations in the future, so I hope it continues to go well. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed it! :)_**

 ** _Fakira: Hahaha, this one's lesson is a bit ambiguous - the Doctor made it clear that he never wanted her to make such an awful choice again, but at the same time, it was the only possible way that it could have ended with as little bloodshed as possible. There will be more canon deviations in the future, however... *Evil laughter* And don't worry about screaming dramatically lest your family thinks your insane - my brother walked in on me screeching like a pterodactyl in my room after a cliffhanger from a fic I was reading. I'm pretty sure he genuinely thought I was insane there, lol. And as for your clumsiness... I think mine's just getting worse - like I said above, I managed to slice my finger open on a box. *hangs head* I just need to live in a bubble. That's not made of cardboard. And I love my new hair - it's still normal at the top, but it turned out that my hair was still dark enough that I had to bleach it before I could add the colors that I wanted. It wasn't too bad, for all that I was worried. I think dark blue highlights would look really cute, but don't do it if you're not comfortable with it. I won't tell you how old/young I am, but I am well over the age of eight and I only just dyed my hair for the first time (And that gives away nothing about my age, right?) Thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked it! :D  
_**

 ** _afionna262: You know, it's funny how many people have been mentioning Let's Kill Hitler lately - I just might have to move up my timeline on when I bring that one in. I'm glad that you really liked this chapter, though. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	46. Chapter 46 - Dalek, Part 1

In an instant they had been rounded up and were being marched down a hall, towards what Lyssa could only assume was the head of whatever entity had set up this underground museum. She still couldn't place what episode this was, if it even was an episode, or what was going to happen, but she had a bad feeling about this place. Something about it just seemed... off. Wrong, maybe. Could have something to do with the fact that there was a strong possibility that whatever or whoever was sending out the emergency signal was trapped in the museum as well.

"Rose?" she whispered to the blonde, careful to keep her voice low.

"Yeah?" the companion answered in the same tone, not looking at her.

"I don't think that my brain-to-mouth filter is fully working right now, so if you think I'm about to say something stupid, or that could endanger us, please clap a hand over my mouth. I might need it."

Rose furrowed her brow at her, but gave a minuscule nod. The Doctor, who had clearly been listening in without an ounce of shame, ducked his head slightly to hide his lips twisting up in a smirk. Lyssa took advantage of their enforced pace and "accidentally" kicked him in the ankle, looking away innocently when he glared at her.

She felt another piece of a memory return when a young woman, curly hair bound up into a ponytail and clad in formal attire, joined them, a strict expression on her face. "Take them to Mr. Van Statten," she ordered the men surrounding them briskly, with an American accent that was almost refreshing after how often she'd heard only British, or occasionally Scottish in the past year.

Something twinged in her memory.

Lyssa flinched, staggering into the Doctor and only staying upright when he helped her up, now looking worried. She hardly noticed, trying to sort through the sudden stream of memories pouring through her head. Including, unfortunately, who they were actually there to rescue, and the pretentious blowhard supposedly in charge of this place.

And it was too late for her to do anything about it - like run away screaming, perhaps - as they turned a corner and were propelled through a doorway into a small office area. There was a desk near the back, where a middle-aged man with a receding hairline sat, while a younger man next to him had just handed him a small, metallic object.

"What does it do?" the older man asked, also with an American accent, taking the object and flipping it over in his hands.

"Well you see, the tubes on the side must be to channel something, I think maybe fuel...," the younger man said with a British accent. Images of him with a hole in his head and being shoved out of the TARDIS popped into her mind, along with his name - Adam.

"I wouldn't hold it like that," the Doctor interjected as the older man began to shake the object.

"Shut it," the woman escorting them ordered, glaring at the Doctor.

He, of course, didn't listen. "Really, though, I wouldn't hold it like that. That's wrong."

"Is it dangerous?" Adam asked, glancing between the object and the Doctor.

"No. It just looks silly," the Doctor said calmly, holding out his hand for the object. All the guards immediately aimed their guns at the Doctor, but he didn't even flinch, meeting the older man - Van Statten's - gaze evenly. Looking vaguely impressed and amused, he held up a hand to stop them and handed the object over.

"You just need to..." the Doctor trailed off, running his fingers gently over the object. A single note, like a key on the piano, rang out. "Be delicate," he finished, smiling widely at the appropriately impressed faces as he began to play a little melody.

"It's a musical instrument," Van Statten realized.

The Doctor nodded proudly, like a teacher with an egomaniacal student. "It's a long way from home."

Van Statten suddenly stood, reaching a hand out. "Here, let me try." And like an overeager toddler, snatched it from the Doctor, who raised his eyebrows at the rough treatment.

"I did say delicate," he muttered admonishingly. "Reacts to the smallest fingerprint." The man ignored him, rubbing his fingers over the device but only able to elicit a series of clashing beeps. "It needs precision," the Doctor advised.

Lyssa opened her mouth to say something, but Rose, who had been keeping an eye on her, calmly placed a hand over her mouth, smirking when Lyssa pouted. Gentling his touch, the man smirked when he was able to play a few notes, making the Doctor smile.

"Very good. Quite the expert," the Doctor complimented him amiably.

"As are you," Van Statten retorted with raised eyebrows, tossing the instrument carelessly to one side where it clattered to the floor. The Doctor and Adam followed it with an alarmed look, both wincing at the sound it produced when it bounced on the floor. "Who exactly are you?" he demanded.

The Doctor slowly lifted his eyes from the instrument to Van Statten, the amiable look now gone and replaced with a more disdainful one. "I'm the Doctor. And who're you?"

The man snorted. "Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artifacts in the world and you just stumbled in by mistake."

The Doctor shrugged innocently. "Pretty much sums us up, yeah."

Van Statten narrowed his eyes. "The question is, how did you get in? Fifty-three floors down. With your little cat burglar accomplices." He eyed Rose, who lowered her hand from Lyssa's mouth and wrinkled her nose at the look he gave her. "Quite a collector yourself, she's rather pretty."

"She's gonna smack you if you keep calling her 'she'," Rose snapped, glaring at him.

Rather than looking cowed, or even slightly apologetic, the man just grinned, eyes on the Doctor. "And she's English, too!" Without taking his eyes off the Doctor, he spoke to Adam. "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy, got you a girlfriend." His eyes trailed over to Lyssa, raking over her in the same way he had both Rose and the Doctor, appraising their possible value. "And what about you, sweetheart? You English, too?"

Lyssa narrowed her eyes at him. "No, just slightly ashamed to be American at the moment. I don't want my friends thinking that I'm the odd one out because I'm a decent human being, rather than the norm."

Van Statten only smirked, once again unoffended. "No worries there, sweetheart. I'm one of a kind. Can I ask what a girl like you is doing with two Brits like them?"

"You can ask," she retorted coolly, examining the nails of one hand with a calm she didn't feel. "But I might not answer."

He only leaned forward, ignoring the Doctor's dark glare. "I like you. You've got grit. Care to tell me how you got in here?"

Lyssa raised an eyebrow at him, a stray thought wondering if he would be offended if she threw a shoe at him. Or two. "Intruder window, of course. How else would anyone get into most likely illegal museums run by someone we don't know?"

That got a reaction out of him. He leaned back, clearly startled, before he laughed. "Great minds must think alike! I just made that same joke a few minutes ago. Funnier joke, though, was you claiming you don't know who I am. I like you, though, so I'm gonna humor you. Tell 'em who I am, Adam."

Adam cleared his throat. "This is Mr. Henry Van Statten." He clearly expected them to be impressed, and was duly disappointed when they weren't.

"And... who's he when he's at home?" Rose asked.

"Mr. Van Statten owns the internet."

Rose scoffed. "Don't be stupid. No one owns the internet."

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right, kids?" Van Statten interjected.

The Doctor seemed to have put things together by now, and had lost any hints of respect in his gaze or tone. "So you're an expert on just about everythin' except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up."

"And you claim greater knowledge?" the man asked, with the air of one self-assured in their rightness and importance.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "I don't need to claim. I know."

"And yet, I captured you. Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?" Van Statten asked suspiciously.

"You tell me."

"The Cage contains my one living specimen," Van Statten explained.

"And what's that?"

"Like you don't know."

"Show me."

"You wanna see it?" Van Statten challenged.

"Blimey, you can smell the testosterone," Rose muttered, immediately reaching out and placing a hand over Lyssa's mouth. "No, not actually. It's an expression."

"Goddard, inform the Cage," Van Statten informed the woman. "We're going down." The woman nodded, striding out of the room and putting a hand to her ear. Van Statten turned to Adam. "You, English. Look after the girl. Canoodle or spoon, or whatever it is you British do. And you, Doctor with no name and your as yet un-named American friend..." He strode to the elevator opposite the door where Goddard was waiting. "Come and see my pet."

The Doctor scowled at Adam, pointing a finger harshly at him. "No canoodlin' or spoonin' with my friend! Keep her safe!" The dark haired man nodded hastily, wide-eyed.

Lyssa's head snapped up. "Just a minute, Van Statten," she called to the older man, who merely looked amused at the interruption. She pointed a finger at him, much in the same way the Doctor had. "I want my friend returned unharmed, got it? If I see a hair out of place, I _will_ make you regret it!" she promised.

It was infuriating how he just smirked, like he was humoring her. "I won't lay a finger on her, promise!" He hit the down button on the elevator and stepped inside as the door opened, followed by the Doctor, who kept her close, and a few guards. "Going down!"

They rode down the elevator in silence, though Lyssa kept bouncing slightly on her feet, trying to burn off some of her energy in some way until the Doctor laid a hand on her arm.

"We've tried everything," Van Statten announced as they came out of the elevator and heading down a hallway. "The creature has... shielded itself, but there's definite signs of life inside." He stopped by a heavy metal door with a keypad next to it, and typed in a code.

"Inside? Inside what?" the Doctor asked cautiously as the doors slowly opened.

A man wearing a bright orange protective suit nodded in greeting as they stepped into the room, where yet another locked door awaited them. "Welcome back, sir. I've had to take the power down, the Metaltron is resting."

"Metaltron?" the Doctor questioned.

"Thought of it myself. Good, isn't it?" Van Statten commented off-handedly. "Although I'd much to prefer to find out its real name. Simmons, the Doctor and his nameless companion would like to enter the Cage."

Simmons offered a pair of heavy, fire-resistant gloves to them. "Here, you'd better put these on. The last guy that touched it... burst into flames."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, not taking the gloves. "I won't touch it, then." Lyssa did the same, noticing Goddard smirking in the corner.

"Go ahead, Doctor. Impress me," Van Statten challenged. "You and your friend. Unless you'd rather stay out here with me and watch?"

Lyssa curled her lip at him and deliberately stepped closer to the Doctor, who glared at Van Statten and strode up to the door unflinchingly. It slid open with a groan, and he stepped through calmly. Lyssa took a moment to steel herself, before following him into the dark room, where only a dim blue light was visible towards the center of the room. She shivered as the door slid shut with a clang behind them, knowing what that light meant.

There was a table near the end of the room, with a dim light hanging over it that illuminated various instruments on it that could only have a painful purpose. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the creature on the receiving end of them. For all that it was a murderer, justice should be swift and righteous, not mindless torture.

The Doctor sighed, stepping towards the blue light. "Look, I'm sorry about this. Mr. Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him. I've come to help. I'm the Doctor, and this is Lyssa."

A yellow light flickered in two spots. " **Doc-tor?** " a robotic voice asked; weak, but still very, very identifiable.

The Doctor staggered back a step into Lyssa, who had frozen in place. "Impossible."

" ** _The_ Doctor?**" The lights in the room suddenly flickered on, revealing a Dalek, bound in chains to pillars and faded and worn. " **Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!** " It waved its gun around at them wildly, attempting to fire.

The Doctor spun around, shoving Lyssa in front of him to the door as he frantically pounded on it. "Let us out! It's going to kill us!" Lyssa cringed as the Dalek continued shouting, covering her ears and wishing they could just be let out, even though she knew they wouldn't.

No help would come for them.

" **Exterminate! You are an enemy of the Daleks! You must be destroyed!** " the Dalek shouted, still waving its gun about, but unable to fire.

The Doctor suddenly stopped, the terror fading from his eyes and a cold grin that made Lyssa flinch to see appeared as he turned around, still careful to keep himself between her and the Dalek.

"You can't fire, can you? Fantastic! Oh, fantastic! Powerless! Look at you. The Great Space Dustbin. How does it feel?" He lunged at it, watching with a maniacal glee as it slid as far back as its chains would allow, leaving only inches between them.

" **Keep back!** " the Dalek shouted fruitlessly.

"What for? What're you going to do to me?" the Doctor challenged, nodding in satisfaction when there was only silence. "If you can't kill... then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you?" He slowly circled the Dalek, its eyepiece spinning around to follow him while Lyssa, unable to help herself, cowered next to the door. "You're nothing!" he spat. "What on earth are you here for?"

The Dalek didn't answer at first, until the lights on its head began to flash as it spoke. " **I am awaiting orders.** "

"What does that mean?" the Doctor snapped.

" **I am a soldier. I was bred to receive orders,** " the Dalek stated.

"Well, you're not gonna get any, not ever!" the Doctor shouted.

" **I demand orders!** " the Dalek said shrilly.

"They're never gonna come!" the Doctor burst out, his voice rising. "Your race is dead! You all burnt, all of you. Ten million ships on fire, the entire Dalek race wiped out in one second."

" **You lie!** " the Dalek shouted.

"I watched it happen. I _made_ it happen," the Doctor countered angrily.

There was a telling silence. " **You... destroyed us?** " the Dalek said at last.

The Doctor's face fell, losing all of the fury it had held. "I had to. I had no other choice," he admitted, turning to look at Lyssa with a pained expression. She felt tears fill her eyes at the sight of him looking so lost and alone.

" **And what of the Time Lords?** " the Dalek asked quietly

"Dead. They burnt with you. The end of the last great Time War. Everyone lost," the Doctor said softly.

" **And the coward survived,** " the Dalek challenged.

The Doctor straightened slowly, something glittering in his eyes. At first glance, she would have thought that it was the Oncoming Storm. But unable to look away, she could see that this wasn't the righteous fury of the Last of the Time Lords. This... this was the pain and anger of a man who had lost everything, and who had to acknowledge that fact every single day.

"Oh, and I caught your little signal... help me," he mocked. "Poor little thing." He switched back to his normal tone. "But there's no one else coming 'cause there's no one else left."

The Dalek lowered its eyepiece. " **I am alone in the universe.** "

The Doctor smiled tightly. "Yep."

" **So are you,** " the Dalek stated, making the Doctor's smile fall. " **We are the same.** "

The Doctor spun around on him furiously. "We're not the same, I'm not..." He stopped short, a manic grin spreading across his face, devoid of any actual humor or good will. "No, wait. Maybe we are. You're right, yeah, okay. You've got a point. 'Cause I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve." He raised his eyebrows, his eyes dark and angry. "Exterminate."

He lifted a hand to the lever on the control panel marked electricity. Before he could pull it, however, his eyes met Lyssa's, still huddled in the corner with tear tracks staining her face. What stopped him though, wasn't the tears, it was the fear. Not of the Dalek. For him. "Lyssa?"

She shook her head, swallowing hard and swiping impatiently at her cheeks. "Not this way."

His fingers tightened around the lever, but still he hesitated. "What do you mean?"

Brown eyes met blue, both pained. "It shouldn't die this way. Not through angry, vengeful torture. That's not justice."

"It's a killer!" the Doctor argued. "It deserves to die! It's murdered who knows how many people, and if it gets the chance, it'll kill again! For all we know, this is part of some plan it's got!"

Lyssa nodded in impatient understanding. "And I understand that, really I do. I hate them, too. I've seen what they can do, what they've done. And it does deserve to die, if only to protect the rest of the world. But because it's the right thing to do, because it's the justice it deserves for its crimes. Not because of a bitter desire to cause it a fraction of the pain its caused others. That's not justice. That's what Daleks do. And that's not what we do." She paused, gathering her messed up thoughts. "That's not what _you_ do. Remember? You're the Doctor. The one who does the right thing even when no one else will."

The Doctor sucked in a harsh breath, his chest heaving as he wrestled with himself. Lyssa and the Dalek were both silent, though for very different reasons as they waited with pent up breath. His fingers repeatedly clenched and opened on the lever until at last he shoved it completely back into the off position with an angry groan.

He spun around and stalked to the Dalek, glaring at it. "This is just a stay of execution," he warned it, voice dark. "Because my fairy-girl is right. I'm not like you. And I never will be, because of her. As long as I have her, I'm never alone, and I will never be like you. 'Cause she's right. I made a promise, and I'm goin' to keep it as best I can. So I will stop you. But I won't do it like a Dalek. I'll do it like the Doctor."

He turned to the door and glared at it, raising his voice. "You can come in now. The show's over. And thanks for not botherin' to lift a finger when we could have been killed." There was a moment before the door slid open and Van Statten and several guards poured into the room, Lyssa scurrying over to the Doctor.

"But you had it under such good control, Doctor," Van Statten smirked. "Neither of you are dead, are you? And I learned such a lot from this. Such as the fact that you," he turned to the Dalek, "can talk. Care to continue chatting with me? I'm the man who saved you, you know. Bought you out of that trash heap you used to live in. You owe it to me."

The Dalek remained silent, visibly irritating Van Statten. "The last in the Universe. And now I know your name. Dalek. Speak to me, Dalek." The silence was starting to grow awkward. "I am Henry Van Statten, now recognize me!"

He growled in frustration when the nothing happened, spinning on the Doctor. "You and your hyper friend, with me. Outside. As for you, Simmons," he addressed the man in the protective suit. "Wait a few minutes, like I said. Then, make it talk."

Lyssa was the last of the group to leave, hanging back as Simmons approached the control panel again, a greedy look in his eyes. She hated Daleks, and feared them. This one was no different. But as she turned back and met the Dalek's gaze, she couldn't help but feel... sympathy... for it. No one should have to live like this. At least grant it a quick death and be done.

She shuddered, feeling a sudden chill wash over her, and hurried to catch up with the group. They were all waiting just outside the room with her, and she couldn't help but notice that the door behind her never shut all the way.

"What exactly do you know about Daleks, Doctor?" Van Statten asked as soon as she was with them.

"The metal's just battle armor. The real Dalek creature's inside," he explained, keeping a wary eye on the other room, as if expecting the Dalek to come charging out at any minute.

"What does it look like?"

"A nightmare. It's a mutation. The Dalek race was genetically engineered, every single emotion was removed, except for one. Hate." Lyssa frowned, remembering a Dalek who became so 'wrong' it decided the Daleks were evil, and sought to destroy them. Who saw the stars and thought them beautiful.

"Genetically engineered, you say?" Van Statten said, impressed. "By whom?"

The Doctor sneered. "By a genius, Van Statten. By a man who was king of his own little world, you'd like him."

"It's been on Earth for over fifty years, sold at a private auction moving from one collection to another. Why would it be a threat now?" Goddard interposed.

"Because Lyssa and I are here," the Doctor stated. "How did it get here. Does anyone know?"

Goddard shrugged. "Records say it came from the sky like a meteorite. It fell to Earth on the Ascension Islands, burnt in its crater for nearly three days before anybody could get near it and all that time it was screaming. It must've gone insane."

"Must've fallen through time. The only survivor," the Doctor mused, his gaze falling to the floor.

"You talked about a war?" the woman mentioned curiously.

"The Time War. The final battle between my people and the Dalek race. Others were dragged into it as well, like Lyssa, and a few other races, but we were the main contenders."

"But you survived, too," Van Statten said sharply. "And Lyssa."

The Doctor flinched, looking at Lyssa apologetically. "Not by choice." She looked away, biting her lip. "I didn't know Lyssa was alive until I found her back on Earth where she belonged, with no memories of the war," he added carefully. "Barely even remembers being in it."

"This means that the Dalek isn't the only alien on Earth, Doctor, there's you!" Van Statten said excitedly, almost dismissing the information about Lyssa. "The only one of your kind in existence. Oh, just think of what I could get out of you!" He snapped his fingers and two guards stepped forwards, restraining the Doctor, while another restrained Lyssa.

"Hey! Why don't I have two? I'm not that out of shape!" she protested, digging her elbow into his gut. He grunted, his hold loosening enough that another guard had to take hold of her other arm, restraining her from moving any further. She huffed, but nodded in reluctant satisfaction.

"Thank you. If you're going to be a racist jerk who has no understanding of what it is to be a decent human being, at least you could mistreat everybody equally." She glared up at her two guards. "And that goes for you two brutes as well!"

"What are you doing? And why do you have Lyssa? She's human!" the Doctor shouted, struggling until a gun was shoved in his face.

Van Statten chuckled. "She may be, but you're not. I can use you to get information, information that I can sell. Or showcase! How much do you think people would be willing to pay to see aliens that look like us? And Lyssa - nice name, by the way, it's my mother's name - can be useful as well. You said that the Dalek was a threat because you and her were here. Which means she can be used to get information from it, while I get information from you! It's a win-win!" He chuckled darkly. "At least for me. Send her in, boys."

"Hey! Stop! Are you trying to kill me? Because that is a very bad idea, I can promise you that!" Lyssa shouted wildly, the Doctor's protests dying down as he was dragged away. The guards didn't listen, shoving her towards the door. "Wait, wait, wait, at least tell Van Statten something for me! Van Statten!" she shouted over her shoulder, her heartbeat increasing the closer she got to the door. "If I find that you've hurt the Doctor in any way, it won't be the Dalek you'll have to worry about!"

And then she was shoved back into the room she had so nearly escaped, and the door slammed shut behind her.

And as a blue gaze fixed on her, Van Statten suddenly became the least of her issues.

* * *

 **A/N: *Sigh* It's a bit shorter than I would have liked/am used to but I felt like this was a good place to end it. (That, and it's almost three in the morning, and I have to get up for church in the morning.) Next chapter should be a fair bit longer, and have a bit more in depth to it, considering. (So... this AN is super short, but as soon as I post it, I can guarantee that I'll remember everything I originally wanted to write. Of course.)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Dumti, afionna262, gabumon7, lucysawyer18, and abbynormal315 for reviewing!**

 ** _Dumti: Oh yeah. Speaking of weird injuries, my coworker threw a laffy taffy at me, and it hit me in the forehead so hard that it literally broke the skin. :P I had to deal with an annoying scab for three days. And I'm glad you liked sassy Doctor! Should be seeing more of him soon! And I'm really glad to hear that you love this story - seriously, it's really encouraging to hear that people are enjoying it, especially when I try something new. (And I don't mind if you call me sweetie, lol. You were using it in a nice, encouraging way [thanks for that, btw] and I like River Song anyways.) Anyways, good luck with your puzzle! (It sounds like a lot of fun!) Thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _afionna262: Thanks! I hope you like the direction I'm gonna take Dalek in. And as for her death... not gonna say how or when, or even confirm it this time around, but I can honestly say that it's probably going to be a very long time before that happens. (So many chapters to write, and plot points to keep straight in my head, ugh.) I have no idea how you accidentally shanked yourself with a pretzel (although it sounds hilarious), but if it's any consolation, I got hit in the head with a laffy taffy so hard it broke the skin, lol. Thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _gabumon7: Yeah, I meant to start this episode last week, but by the time I got around to getting into it, I was almost 4,000 words in, and it was too late to actually delve into it, because I try to hover in the 4-5500 word range for each chapter, though I'm obviously fairly bad at that. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it (now that I finally got around to actually writing the episode, lol). :D_**

 ** _lucysawyer18: Yeah, it was definitely inspired by that, lol. I'm glad to hear that you like it! (it's a big encouragement) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 ** _abbynormal315: First of all, great username. Second of all, I'm thrilled to hear that you love it so much, and think I'm doing a good job! It's really encouraging and motivating to keep writing, knowing that people are genuinely enjoying my work. Thanks for an awesome review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	47. Chapter 47 - Dalek, Part 2

"So. You're the girl Mr. Van Statten thinks can make a Metaltron talk," Simmons said with a raised eyebrow, one hand resting on the blowtorch on the table.

Lyssa backed up against the door, feeling very trapped. "What?"

"Boss said you were going to come in, make it talk. And he said that if you weren't, I was supposed to make you talk. He seemed to think that the Metaltron would talk if you would." He grinned maliciously. "To be honest, I'm rather hoping you don't get it to talk. I've never gotten it to talk before, but I've gotten very good at making it scream."

Lyssa shuddered, pressing her back further into the door. "I hope you don't think that you're any better than the Dalek. Because you're exactly the same. Thinking yourself to be the best there is, and if anything is different, you torture it because you can!"

Simmons shrugged. "Nah. That's more the boss's gig. I'm here because I get a pretty sweet paycheck. Enough chit-chat with me, though. You have a date with a Metaltron. Excuse me. Dalek." He gestured with a pair of pliers - stained with a dark liquid - in one hand.

Lyssa swallowed hard, trying to work up the courage to act. Logically, the Dalek could do nothing to her at this moment in time. Mentally, it was literally the creature of her nightmares. "Do - do you have anything to say to me, Dalek?" she stuttered out, her sentence almost too weak to be heard.

There was silence for a long moment, long enough that Simmons began reaching for his blowtorch again.

" **Why do you hate us?** " the Dalek asked slowly, the lights on the top of its head blinking as it spoke.

Lyssa blinked, startled out of her fear for a moment. "I'm sorry?"

" **The Doctor spoke of you surviving the Time War along with us. He was incorrect. You are too young to have endured the war. And records indicate that the female known as Alyssa Devons perished during the war.** "

"Yeah, well, I bet your records said that the Doctor didn't survive either," Lyssa challenged. "And what's that got to do with anything, anyways?"

" **You have not endured the atrocities of the war, and yet you hate us for that which you have never seen, nor felt, nor done. You have had no recorded interactions with us at this point, yet seek to see us destroyed. You show no mercy towards one survivor of war, yet you pity the other. Why?** "

"Why?" Lyssa repeated incredulously. "Why? No recorded interactions? Maybe because everyone involved never got around to reporting how many times the world almost ended because of you lot! Because they almost died, and all the Daleks who were involved, lost! And back to the why - it's because of the interactions, for one. I'm not just going off of hearsay, I know what you're like," she spat.

"I have seen you kill without mercy. I've heard your battle cry as you exterminate innocents, heard your plan for destroying the Earth. I've felt you rip the energy from my veins, nearly killing me. But that's not all. I do hate you," she stated angrily. "I hate you for all that you've done, and will do. I hate you for what you've done to millions of innocent people. But most of all, I hate you for what you've done to the Doctor!"

" **You hate us for wiping out entire races?** " the Dalek queried. She jerked her head in a single nod. " **Then why do you not hate the Doctor for the same? We are the same.** "

She pushed off from the door so fast she nearly face-planted into the floor. "No! You do not get to say that! You never get to say that about you and the Doctor! Not when you've wiped out billions upon billions of lives for no other reason than because they're not Daleks! Not when he's suffered so much to save how many other billions of lives from you! And especially not when he had to do it - was forced to do it, or face the end of the universe because of you! You did it because you wanted to! He had no choice, and he lost just as much as you did! Not when I see it killing him inside every day. Not when the blood on your hands don't bother you in the slightest!

"So no, you are not the same. You are in no way the same, and never will be even close to being similar!" she spat, getting voluntarily closer to a Dalek than she ever had in her life. "I hate you for willingly doing what he was forced to do. And I love him for making the hard choices when no one else will, for encouraging me to be a better person just by knowing him! I love him because he cares so much when no one else does. I love him for being everything you're not. Does that answer your question, Dalek?"

Its eyestalk moved slightly, as if in affirmation. " **Then we are all to die here together. So be it.** "

She scoffed, moving further away once her rage had cooled slightly. "What are you talking about? Van Statten won't kill us, not as long as he can get money from us. Not with you and the Doctor, and me here to get you to talk."

" **We will still die** ," the Dalek said slowly. " **We shall never leave the bunker as long as Van Statten lives. Our lives will be spent in pain and misery for the profit of another.** "

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it," Lyssa snarked, crossing to the back of the cell and sliding down to the floor, out of sight of the cameras. "Those who've done nothing to deserve it, being tortured and killed by someone else who thinks that they have every right to do so, simply because they have the money or the power."

" **You think the Daleks are similar to Van Statten,** " the Dalek stated.

Lyssa sighed, dropping her gaze to the cold floor and drawing her knees up to her chest. "Yes. No. I don't know. Not exactly. Van Statten doesn't kill everything different, he just locks it up. But you guys... you guys are at least honest about your goals. Everyone knows from the start, basically, what you plan to do. It's literally your battle cry. Van Statten lies to everyone, including himself, that it's all about science, information, whatever, yada yada yada. But he doesn't care about life either. Just about himself and money, basically."

She picked at the knot in her shoelaces, not looking up at it, though she knew both it and Simmons were still listening. "Which is part of the reason why I don't completely hate you, either. You singular, that is. Not while you're suffering because of the actions of a madman and his money-hungry henchmen - full offence, by the way," she added to Simmons, ignoring his narrowed eyes. "No one should have to suffer torture. Ever. What he's doing is deluded and wrong, and you're paying the price for it. And for that, I'm sorry."

The Dalek was quiet at first, as if absorbing her words. " **You are not responsible for the actions of your countrymen. You do not condone them, nor do you allow them. You are as powerless as I.** "

She nodded. "You need to pay for your crimes, but torture should never be an option." She snorted bitterly. "She said to the Dalek. As if you're not just trying to trick me into feeling sorry for you for some reason or another. I'm not going to touch you, if that's what you wanted. I know what it'll do." She glanced up at Simmons. "I don't wanna talk anymore. Did you get enough information to leave us alone, or are you going to be a meathead again?"

The man lifted the blowtorch, eyed it a minute speculatively, then lowered it to the table again. "I think I've got enough information for now. Like for one, that the Doctor was lying when he said you were in whatever war you were talking about. And for two, that you've got some sort of energy in you that the Daleks took. Which means you're not human like he said, either. I think the boss'll be mighty interested in hearing about this. But I still want to have my fun first."

So saying, he lifted his hand to the lever and slammed it down, laughing as bolts of electricity coursed through the Dalek and it began to scream in pain. "Is that what it felt like when you killed Melophski?" he shouted. "Or how about all those other people the girl said you killed! Do you think they felt this pain right before you killed them?"

Lyssa scrambled to her feet and yanked on his arm. "Stop it! This isn't the way to stop them! You're hurting it!" He grabbed her wrist and twisted it, making her cry out in pain before shoving her away, clutching her wrist to her chest.

"Don't try and lie to me! I heard you loud and clear. That thing's a killer, but I'm not gonna kill it. Cause that's not a mercy I'm about to grant!" He let it continue a few moments longer before reluctantly lowering the electricity to the minimum, the Dalek's screams slowly tapering down.

"Don't want you dying on us too soon. Or you," he added to Lyssa with a grin. "So I'm gonna leave you in here, where you'll be nice and safe until I come back. Can't leave Mr. Van Statten hanging, you know. So don't run off while I'm gone, all right? Oh, and try not to fight too much. I'd hate to see either of you with a bruise that I didn't give you."

Lyssa rubbed her wrist, noticing with dismay the angry red mark now present. "Well, now you've already given both of us more than enough of those," she grimaced, glaring as the door slid open partially, then shut once more behind him with finality. She heard the snap of electricity and glanced over at the Dalek, only then realizing that it was still suffering. "Oh! Sorry!"

She scrambled to her feet and pushed the lever all the way to the off position before returning to her spot on the floor. "Didn't realize he was that much of a jerk to leave it on. Suppose you'd have to be to be hired here, though. Can only imagine the ads. 'Help wanted: Psychopathic henchmen needed, must be willing to torture innocent people. Contact information below.'"

" **Why do you engage in frivolity when the situation contains no humor?** " the Dalek questioned. " **And why did you cease the electricity flow when you have already stated that you hate me?** "

"Because humor makes it seem temporarily less serious," Lyssa answered. "And I already told you, as much as I hate you, I don't want to see you suffer for something that's not even your fault. If you pay for your crimes, it should be swift. Justice isn't vengeance, no matter how much I want it to be, sometimes. The Doctor's shown me that."

They sat in silence then, both occupied with their own thoughts. She had no idea what the Dalek was thinking, but on her end, she was debating letting Rose touch the Dalek or not. She'd tried using the time stream to see, but ended up seeing a virtual explosion of gold-covered futures, none of which she was able to make sense of - though she had no idea how one of them ended up with them all doing the jitterbug, somehow including the Dalek.

Clearly, her body was still recovering from her energy loss and subsequent overdose.

Abandoning that idea, she tried just thinking it out. She clearly couldn't touch the Dalek in Rose's place. Considering how much she'd just re-emphasized her hatred, she'd probably end up being responsible for the whole state of Utah blowing up.

On the other hand, if she didn't let Rose touch it either, they could all end up trapped down here for who knows how long, unable to escape. Not to mention the Dalek could still escape, and somehow power up enough to kill people. Then where would they be? And if Rose touched it... things play out as normal, with the addition of her hopefully being able to save more lives this time around.

The creaking of the door drew her attention out of her thoughts, and she sat up a little straighter as Rose and the brunet - Adam - slipped into the room, neither of them noticing her next to the table.

"Don't get too close," Adam cautioned her.

Rose, of course, completely ignored him, looking very concerned and sympathetic as she approached the Dalek, looking straight into its lowered eyepiece. "Hello? Are you in pain? My name's Rose Tyler. I've got a friend, he can help. He's called the Doctor. What's your name?"

The Dalek regarded her for a moment before answering simply, " **Yes.** "

"What?" she frowned, Lyssa restraining the urge to leap up and pull her away. This had to happen, she reminded herself. It was possibly their only chance at survival.

The Dalek slowly lifted its eyepiece to view her, its voice suddenly slower and wearier. " **I am in pain. They tortured me. But still they fear me. Do you fear me?** "

Rose shook her head innocently. "No."

The Dalek lowered its eyepiece. " **I am dying.** "

"No, we can help!" Rose protested. Adam looked nervous about it, but nodded in reluctant agreement behind her.

" **I welcome death. But I am glad... that before I die... I met a human who was not afraid.** "

Lyssa very nearly stood and applauded its acting skills as Rose's eyes filled with sympathetic tears. "Isn't there anything I can do?"

" **My race is dead. I shall die alone,** " it stated resignedly.

Rose sucked in a breath, reaching out a hand to touch the Dalek, placing her hand gently against its shell, while Lyssa closed her eyes and looked away.

"Rose, no!" Adam shouted.

But it was too late. Rose snatched her hand away, cradling her hand as her hand print glowed bright orange on the casing.

" **Genetic material extrapolated! Initiate cellular reconstruction!** " the Dalek shouted, its voice filled with new energy as sparks flew and it returned to full power. It burst from its chains right as Simmons entered the room.

"What've you gone and done?" he shouted at the terrified Rose, approaching the Dalek. It pointed its sucker at him menacingly, and Lyssa blanched, pushing herself to her feet. He scoffed. "What are you gonna do, sucker me to death?"

"If it gets the chance, yes!" Lyssa shouted, startling them all as she hauled the man backwards just as the Dalek's plunger extended towards his face. "Everyone out before it kills us all!"

She shoved Rose towards the door, darting after her and shrieking as a blue beam shot past her, just missing her, and through the door, killing some poor soul who had been standing outside. She dodged another one right as they made it out, followed by Adam and Simmons, who slammed the door shut behind him.

"It killed him! Do something!" Rose shouted at a man standing by the code lock, who quickly pressed a few buttons, then slammed a red button.

"Condition red! Repeat, condition red! This is not a drill!" His voice echoed through speakers in the room. Armed guards began pouring into the room, taking up position outside the door and aiming at it as a screen on a nearby wall flickered to life. On it were the Doctor, Van Statten, and Goddard.

" _You've got to keep it in that cell!_ " the Doctor ordered.

"Doctor, it's all my fault," Rose apologized, her eyes flitting between him and the dead body on the ground.

"I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out, that lock's got a billion combinations," the leader of the guards said confidently.

" _The Dalek's a genius. It can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat,_ " the Doctor warned them. Lyssa swallowed hard, standing close to Rose, her heartbeat echoing in her ears.

Simmons edged closer to her. When she noticed, she scooted closer to Rose, who eyed her curiously. Simmons edged forwards once more. "You saved my life in there."

"Don't take it personally," Lyssa snapped, eyes still fixed on the door. "If I had my way, you'd spend the rest of your life perpetually falling down the stairs. But then you couldn't run, and you'd die when - not if - the Dalek gets out of there. You're a sadistic piece of dirt, just like your boss, and I really hope you're not surprised that the Dalek tried to kill you first."

"Hold on, Lyssa, what're you talking about?" Rose asked, glaring protectively at Simmons. Lyssa didn't say anything, just held up her arm, still red, in answer. She gasped. "That was him?" Lyssa nodded, almost laughing at the way Simmons backed up from the angry blonde, apparently more afraid of her than the Dalek. But even she winced at the slap that followed, though it did also feel really, _really_ , satisfying watching him clutch at his face.

"This is not the time for personal grievances!" the guard shouted as the door slid open and the Dalek appeared. "Open fire!" Everyone began shooting at the Dalek, but their bullets made no visible difference as the bullets melted before even reaching the creature.

" _Don't shoot, I want it unharmed!_ " Van Statten shouted.

" _Lyssa, Rose, get out of there!_ " the Doctor shouted desperately.

The guard growled as the Dalek continued to advance, still firing, before turning to the female guard. "De Maggio, take the civilians and get them out alive. That is your job, got it?"

"You, with me!" the soldier barked, running out of the room. Rose grabbed Lyssa's hand and followed her, Adam and Simmons pulling slightly ahead of them as they ran through corridors past soldiers charging towards the cage. "Civilians, let them through!"

" _All guards, converge on the Metaltron cage,_ " Goddard's voice came over the intercom.

They kept running, the sound of Dalek shots and gunfire echoing in the distance. " _I don't want a scratch on its body work? Do you hear me? Do you hear me?_ " Van Statten shouted over the intercom a moment later.

"Your boss is a piece of work, you know that?" Lyssa gasped to De Maggio as they ran. She nodded, looking slightly ashamed as she directed them through another area.

"Stairs!" Rose shouted as they came upon a landing. "That's more like it! It hasn't got legs, it's stuck!"

"It's a Dalek, stairs won't stop it!" Lyssa shouted, shoving her up the stairs and pounding up after her, followed by Adam, Simmons, and De Maggio.

"It's coming! Get to the top!" De Maggio ordered. They all rounded a flight, then peered down the banister, where it now waited at the bottom for them.

Adam breathed a sigh of relief as its eyepiece ran over them calculatingly, pausing longest on Lyssa and Rose. "Great big alien death machine. Defeated by a flight of stairs," he mocked, Rose laughing excitedly with him.

"Now listen to me," De Maggio shouted down at it. "I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate, then I guarantee that Mr. Van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong. But people have died, and that stops. Right now. The killing stops, have you got that?" The Dalek said nothing. "I demand that you surrender, is that clear?"

Lyssa tugged on her sleeve. "It's a killing machine, surrender's not in its vocabulary! We have to get out of here!" De Maggio shook her off, waiting for an answer.

When it came, none of them liked it. " **El-ev-ate!** " the Dalek intoned, lifting a few inches into the air and floating above the steps.

Rose gasped, squeezing Lyssa's hand so hard when she released it, it was nearly white.

"Adam, get them out of here!" De Maggio shouted.

"Come with us, you can't stop it!" Rose urged.

"It will kill you!" Lyssa added. "Please!"

De Maggio shook them off, readying her gun. "Someone's got to try. Now get out of here!" She shoved them away. "Don't look back, just run!"

"Will do!" Simmons shouted, darting away and leaving them there, Rose looking after him with disgust.

"Please! Bullets can't stop it!" Lyssa pleaded. "If you stay, you'll die, and then who will get us out of here?"

De Maggio hesitated, then jerked her head upwards. "Go. I'll be up in a minute." Lyssa nodded, already the Dalek was far too close for comfort. Running up after Rose and Adam, the sound of gunfire echoed up the stairwell after them and onto the corridor. A moment later, a beam sounded, and her pained scream reached their ears.

"No! Why did she stay!" Lyssa mourned, still running. "She didn't have to die!"

"It was her choice, we couldn't have done anything to stop her," Rose offered, panting.

" _The Dalek's surrounded by a force field,_ " the Doctor's voice suddenly came over the intercom. " _The bullets are melting before they even hit home but it's not indestructible. If you concentrate your fire, you might get through. Aim for the dome, the head, the eyepiece. That's the weak spot._ "

"Will that work?" Rose called.

Lyssa shook her head. "I don't know," she coughed. "It's at full power, and they're too exposed. We've got to get out of here - and we're civilians, please don't shoot us!" she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air as they came into a large open area, filled with armed men aiming at them.

"Hold your fire! You three, get the heck out of here!" a man dressed in command uniform shouted.

"Disable the sprinklers!" Lyssa shouted as they ran past. "Its beam can travel through water and affect multiple people!"

"Like I told the Doctor, I know how to fight a tin robot," the commander said condescendingly. "Now get out of here!"

They screeched to a halt just outside the doors, just as the Dalek rolled into sight, focusing in on them, specifically on Rose, who returned its gaze curiously. Adam grabbed her hand and tried to jerk her away, but she pulled free.

"It was looking at me," she murmured.

"Yeah, 'cause it wants to slaughter us!" Adam shouted.

"I know! But it was looking right at me!" she protested.

"So? It's just a sort of metal eye thing, it's looking all around!" Adam said impatiently, edging towards another corridor. "We need to get out of here!"

Rose shook her head, slowly following after him. "I don't know... It's like there's something inside looking at me, like... like it knows me."

"Yeah, you touched it. Took the DNA of a time traveler from you, and used that to boost its systems. Now we've really got to move!" Lyssa urged, doubling her pace as they came to another flight of stairs and began their laborious way up it.

They were halfway up when Rose's phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket and flipped it open without even looking at it. "This isn't the best time!"

" _Where are you?_ " Lyssa was close enough to hear the Doctor's muffled voice as they rounded a turn.

"Level 49," Rose called, reading a set of numbers of the wall.

" _You've got to keep moving, the vault's being sealed off, bulkhead level 46,_ " the Doctor warned grimly.

"Can't you stop them closing?" Rose demanded, running up the next flight of stairs

" _I'm the one who's closing them. I can't wait, and I can't help you. Now for your own sake, run._ "

"Nearly there, just give us two seconds!" Rose shouted several agonizing minutes later as they ran through the corridor on level 46. Lyssa's lungs were burning, and she was sure that if she stopped running, she'd never be able to get back up again. They rounded a turn and caught sight of the bulkhead just ahead.

" _I'm sorry,_ " the Doctor apologized.

The bulkhead began to lower.

They all doubled their speed as much as their aching bodies could, pushing forward. Adam managed to duck under the big steel bulkhead when it was halfway shut, but Lyssa and Rose were a little slower.

"Rose, come on!" Lyssa shouted, her legs screaming at her as she continued to push them beyond her normal limits. "We have to get there! We're so close!"

"Almost there!" Rose promised, sounding almost as out of breath as she was. "Just a bit... further..."

Lyssa reached the bulkhead and rolled under, reaching her hand out for Rose. The blonde extended a hand to grab it as the Dalek appeared in the back of the corridor behind her.

Instead, she had to pull her hand back as the bulkhead snapped into place, leaving Rose alone with an angry Dalek and one last shouted word.

" **Exterminate!** "

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans! May you have a great 4th of July shooting fireworks and doing whatever else you normally do on the holiday! (And to everyone else, I hope you have a great Wednesday!) :D**

 **In which I am still really bad at writing action scenes. :P I can picture them so clearly in my head, but when I try and out them into words, it becomes awkward and stilted. Grr**

 **Anyways, this one is going to have to be a three-parter. I originally hoped to end this episode here, but it took a lot longer than I was expecting just to reach this point, though I'm not entire sure why. Probably just because I have a tendency to ramble on. And as things have been pretty crazy on my end (where I work, summer makes things busier, not calmer) hopefully this week things will start to calm down, and be less crazy. Which means that I'll be posting longer chapters then! (I'm still in my norm rn, but on the lower end. Hopefully I'll be able to raise it a bit)**

 **Also, I did consider having Lyssa be the one to touch the Dalek. The trouble with that is that she, while (hopefully) nice enough normally, clearly hates Daleks. She doesn't have the innocence and compassion that Rose does, that transmits to this Dalek. And the ability of this Dalek to change, to not just be a mindless killer, is something that both the Doctor and Lyssa need to see.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Fakira, gabumon7, and afionna262 for reviewing!**

 _ **Fakira: No worries! Clearly, RL has been dealing its own struggles to me. :P Hopefully we'll both have a calmer week. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)**_

 _ **gabumon7: Yeah. :P I went to bed, woke up the next day, and realized that that was not where I wanted to end it! I completely agree with your review (last week's chapter needed a lot of TLC), but I've added a bit to the ending to hopefully make it a bit better and have some more story progress. Hopefully things are a bit better this week, and I don't really want to have chapters that short either - I personally prefer longer chapters myself, which is why I write them - most of the time. :P Anyways, thanks for a great review, and I hope you enjoyed it! :D**_

 _ **afionna262: Mm, not all the excitement's this chapter... just most of it. ;) And as for Lyssa getting a new bead... what on earth makes you think that she'll be getting a new bead? 0.0 Whatever could have given you that idea? #confused #innocent. I am... exhausted, and busy, and my introverted mind is nearly overwhelmed with people (the perks of working where I do), lol, but I'm doing alright, thanks for asking. :) Thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked it! :D**_

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	48. Chapter 48 - Dalek, Part 3

"No!" Lyssa slammed a fist onto the bulkhead. "Rose!" She scrambled back up to her feet and began pounding on the barricade. "Rose! No! Not again, please, not again!"

Her hand slid down the door weakly, tears filling her eyes. Rose had been fine the first time around, but now she was there, and she had been stupid enough to antagonize the Dalek beforehand, and now once again a Dalek had separated her from her friend. Even if she didn't die, she could still be hurt, and it would be all her fault.

Adam stood awkwardly behind her. "Look, Lyssa, right? I'm sorry about your friend, but we need to get out of here. Even if they've sealed it off, there's still a chance it could get through. We need to get back up to the office and talk to Mr. Van Statten and the Doctor. They'll know the best chance to stop it."

Lyssa sucked in a shaky breath, glaring at the still bulkhead. "I know. I know. Just... give me a moment, yeah?"

He fidgeted. "I don't know that we have a moment. You saw how quickly that thing figured out the combination to the lock downstairs. We have to get out of here before then."

Lyssa nodded in reluctant agreement, casting one last mournful look at the bulkhead before dropping her hand and walking away, following Adam's lead to yet another elevator. It was an awkward ride up the levels before the door finally opened to Van Statten's executive office on the first floor, where the Doctor, Van Statten, Simmons, and Goddard were waiting. Simmons was... sprawled in an unconscious heap on the floor, while all the rest were standing around Van Statten's desk, although they turned when the elevator doors opened.

Adam stepped out first, blocking her view of the office. "You were quick on your feet, leavin' Lyssa and Rose behind," the Doctor snapped at Adam, his face drawn.

"I'm not the one who sealed the vault!" Adam snapped indignantly. "And anyways, Lyssa's here with me, or didn't you notice that?"

"What?" The Doctor stepped back, only then noticing Lyssa stepping apologetically out from behind Adam.

"Sorry I missed her," she apologized, head bowed. "I should have waited for her, instead of rolling under at the last minute. I was selfish, and I... it's all my fault. I'm so sorry, Doctor."

She squeaked in surprise when he swept her up into a tight hug. "If you had stayed, you'd have been dead with her. You did the only thing you could have done. This isn't your fault. If anyone's, it's Van Statten's." He cast a glare at the older man, who only scowled at the accusation.

"It was the prize of my collection!"

The Doctor released Lyssa and spun on him, the Oncoming Storm dangerously close to coming out. "Your collection? But was it worth it? Worth all those men's deaths? Worth Rose?" He scoffed at the silence. "Let me tell you something, Van Statten. Mankind goes into space to explore. To be part of something greater."

Van Statten nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! I wanted to touch the stars!"

The Doctor shook his head, contempt filling his tone. "You just want to drag the stars down and stick them underground underneath tons of sand and dirt and label them. You're about as far from the stars as you can get." His tone suddenly faded into a softer, grief-filled expression. "And you took her down with you." He glanced over at Lyssa, squeezing her hand. "She was nineteen years old."

Van Statten opened his mouth to speak, but Goddard silenced him with a dark glare and he subsided, a heavy silence descending, only broken when the screen in the wall flickered on. The Dalek, fully restored to power and its shiny casing, stood next to Rose in front of the bulkhead.

" ** _Open the bulkhead or Rose Tyler dies,_** " it commanded.

The Doctor laughed almost hysterically, stepping towards the screen and his face relaxing with relief. "You're alive!"

" _Can't get rid of me,_ " she said jokingly, casting a nervous glance at the Dalek.

"I thought you were dead!" the Doctor continued.

" ** _Open the bulkhead,_** " the Dalek repeated.

Rose shook her head immediately. " _Don't do it!_ "

The Doctor hesitated.

The Dalek didn't. " ** _You killed your planet and family. Will you now also lose your friends? What use are emotions if you cannot save the few you have left?_** "

The Doctor's face twisted, before he shook his head in surrender, turning to Van Statten, who was watching in shock. "I killed her once. I can't do it again. I made a promise." He stepped to the computer and hit the enter key, all of them watching in silence as the bulkhead slowly began to open, and Rose, closely followed by the Dalek, stepped through before the screen went blank.

"What do we do now?" Van Statten asked the Doctor desperately. "You bleeding heart, what the heck do we do?"

"Kill it when it gets here!" Adam offered.

Goddard shook her head. "All the guns are useless, and all the alien weapons are in the vault - behind the Dalek."

"Only the cataloged ones," Adam said, wincing when Van Statten raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Sorry."

"Don't be," the Doctor snapped. "Might be the only thing that saves us from his lordship's idiocy. Show me your workshop. Lyssa, come with me. I'm not leaving you alone with the likes of him again," he added, jerking a contemptuous head at Van Statten and Simmons, still unconscious on the floor.

Lyssa held up a finger, opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Can I ask, first, what happened to him?" She stared down at Simmons. "I didn't think Rose hit him that hard."

"She didn't. I did," the Doctor said tersely. "And I almost did the same to Van Statten when I thought that you'd been left for dead down there at his command."

Lyssa nodded. "Ah. I'm sure you had a good reason for that, but that makes me think of something else. Really quick, just one more question, I promise. Then we can go." She kept her voice calm, though the Doctor noticeably stiffened at her tone when she turned to Van Statten, stepping close to him. "Did you happen to find out that the Doctor has two hearts?"

The man, although visibly confused, laughed and nodded. "And I'm going to patent it, too." The rest of her words suddenly sunk in. "Wait. How did you know that I - "

Lyssa didn't wait to hear anymore. Drawing back her arm, she formed her hand into a fist and punched Van Statten's jaw as hard as she could, hearing something crack as they connected, although she couldn't tell if it was on her end or his. They both cried out and stepped back, Van Statten's hands flying to his jaw, and Lyssa wringing her hand painfully.

"That's for torturing an innocent person!" she spat, rubbing her surely bruised knuckles. "Owie, why does it hurt so much, Doctor?" she whined in a total change of voice. "Justice shouldn't be this painful. It was really satisfying, but it really hurt, too!"

The Doctor and Adam just stared at her with wide eyes, until the Doctor suddenly barked a laugh and stepped forward, tugging her arm through his and pulling her hastily out of the room, beckoning Adam to lead the way. Behind them, they could hear Van Statten shouting behind them.

"Why did you let her do that? I think she knocked a tooth loose."

"Because you deserved it... Sir," was Goddard's sharp reply.

Lyssa didn't hear anymore after that as they rounded a turn and down a flight of stairs into Adam's workshop, where the young man quickly pulled out a small container filled with alien 'weapons.'

The Doctor quickly began digging through them, tossing them off to the side after a quick examination. "Broken. Broken." He pulled out another object and stared at it with a funny look. "Hairdryer. Where'd you pick up that?"

"Mr Van Statten tends to dispose of his staff, and when he does he wipes their memory. I kept this stuff in case I needed to fight my way out one day," Adam explained.

The Doctor scoffed, still tossing aside useless items. "What, you in a fight? I'd pay to see that."

"I could do," Adam retorted, offended.

"What're you gonna do, throw your A-Levels at 'em?"

Lyssa placed a hand on his arm. "Now, now, dear, play nice."

"Sorry, love," he chuckled, pulling a large gun-shaped item out of the basket. "Oh, yes. Lock and load." He turned to Lyssa. "You ready?"

She nodded quietly, frowning, feeling something was wrong with this scenario. While the only sane thing to do when facing a Dalek was to have a usable weapon, seeing the Doctor with a gun was... jarring, for lack of a better word.

"Let's go. Adam, stay here," the Doctor commanded, hefting the gun and jogging out of the room, Lyssa following with a heavy heart. They made their way up the stairs, a big 01 marking the wall, then ran into the corridor, stopping when they saw it.

A hole in the ceiling, with a beam of sunlight shining through, Rose, and the Dalek, though its casing was open and the real octopus-like creature lay exposed to the open on its seat. It had one tentacle extended, feeling the sunlight. Unable to help herself, Lyssa stared at the sight, no longer sure what to feel.

The Doctor had no such inhibitions. "Get out of the way!" he barked, lifting the gun and aiming it at the Dalek. "Rose, get out of the way! Now!"

"No! I won't let you do this!" Rose protested, stepping into his line of view.

"That thing killed hundreds of people!" he said incredulously.

"It's not the one pointing the gun at me," Rose retorted coldly.

The Doctor shook his head desperately. "I've got to do this. I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I've got nothin' left except for Lyssa."

"Just look at it!" Rose commanded, stepping aside and gesturing to the Dalek. It was completely ignoring them, focused completely on the sunlight, letting it dance about its tentacles almost gleefully.

"What's it doin'?" he asked, confused.

"It's the sunlight, that's all it wants," Rose said softly.

The Doctor's voice shook, though he had yet to lower his gun, Lyssa standing behind him, worrying at her lower lip. This part had to happen, she reminded herself, no matter how much she didn't like it. "But it can't be..."

Rose just stared at him. "It couldn't kill Van Statten, it couldn't kill me. It's changing. What about you, Doctor? What are you changing into?"

The Doctor sucked in a shaky breath, finally giving in and letting the gun fall to the ground, looking completely lost. "I couldn't..." His eyes filled with tears as he looked back at Lyssa pleadingly. "But I wasn't..." He looked over at the Dalek, then back to Rose. "Oh, Rose, they're all dead. Every one of them." Lyssa swallowed hard, moving to stand beside him and take his hand.

" **Why do we survive?** " the Dalek asked weakly.

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted, his voice heavy with grief.

" **I am... the last... of the Daleks,** " it stated, speech becoming more and more laborious as it grew weaker.

"You're not even that. Rose did more than regenerate you. You absorbed her DNA. You're mutatin'," the Doctor said softly.

" **Into what?** "

The Doctor didn't answer for a minute, his voice solemn when he did. "Something new. I'm sorry."

"Isn't that better, though?" Rose asked quietly.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not for a Dalek. They see themselves as the height of perfection. Anything less, anything different is... despicable to them."

The Dalek slowly turned from the sunlight, blinking slowly at Lyssa as it focused on her. She stepped back slightly, but shook her head when the Doctor moved to step in front of her.

" **You knew that this would happen,** " the Dalek stated. Not accusing.

Lyssa bowed her head. "Yes," she admitted softly.

" **Why did you not stop your friend from touching me?** " it asked. " **If you knew what I would do?** "

Lyssa blinked back tears despite herself. "Because she was the only one with enough kindness in her heart to offer mercy to a Dalek. Because even a Dalek should feel kindness before it dies."

The Dalek regarded her steadily. " **Perhaps Rose Tyler is not the only one with kindness after all,** " it remarked quietly before turning to Rose. " **I can feel so many ideas,** " it complained, closing its one eye. " **So much darkness... Rose, give me orders! Order me to die.** "

Rose shook her head, horrified. "I can't do that!"

" **This is not life. This is sickness,** " the Dalek told her, Rose's face contorting into one of pity and disgust. " **I shall not be like you. Order my destruction! Obey! Obey! Obey!** "

Rose turned to Lyssa, who nodded once mutely before turning back to the Dalek. "Do it," she said brokenly, looking down at the ground.

" **Are you frightened, Rose Tyler?** " the Dalek asked.

She laughed weakly, looking back up at it. "Yeah."

" **So am I.** " It replaced its armor, appearing once more to be the impenetrable Dalek, but it had one more thing to say before it went. " **Doctor?** "

He startled. "Yeah?"

" **Do you seek forgiveness for the war?** "

He swallowed hard. "I don't think I'll ever stop."

" **Then we are different after all, Doctor. Daleks will admit no wrongdoing. Perhaps... perhaps it is good, that the Daleks are gone. They live on through me, but no more. Exterminate!** "

Rose stumbled back to Lyssa and the Doctor as the Dalek levitated into the air, the golden knobs detaching themselves from the Dalek and forming a perfect sphere around it. The Dalek glowed briefly inside the sphere before exploding into nothing, leaving no sign that it had ever existed except in their memories.

They all stood for a moment in respectful silence, then Lyssa took the Doctor's hand. "Where do we go from here?"

The Doctor's face hardened. "Back to the lift, then down to the TARDIS. There's nothing left for us here, except to call UNIT. They need to know about this place."

"What's UNIT?" Rose asked timidly as they headed back up the stairs to the lift by Van Statten's office.

"Unified Nations Intelligence Taskforce. They help deal with alien threats. Remember when the Slitheen invaded 10 Downing Street? They were there," the Doctor explained briefly, halting when they came to the top of the stairs.

A few yards away, Goddard stood in front of Van Statten, several guards behind him. She raised a hand and they stepped forward, grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him backwards, followed by Goddard.

"What are you doing?" Van Statten demanded.

"Two hundred personnel dead, and all because of you, sir. Take him away, wipe his memory, and leave him by the road someplace," Goddard commanded briskly, nodding at the group when she saw them.

"You can't do this to me! I am Henry Van Statten!"

Goddard smirked coolly. "And by tonight, Henry Van Statten will be a homeless, brainless junkie living on the streets of San Diego, Seattle, Sacramento... Some place beginning with an 'S'."

"No! Wait! You can't do this to me!" His desperate eyes met theirs. "Help me, Doctor! Get me out of here!"

The Doctor just stood silently, watching as he was dragged out of sight. Lyssa felt a small sliver of satisfaction at the growing bruise on his jaw that no doubt matched the one on her still aching knuckles.

"Aren't you goin' to help?" Rose asked once his shouts had died down.

The Doctor shrugged, walking to the elevator and pressing the down button. He waited until they were on their way down to the exhibit hall to speak. "If I stopped them, I'd have to hand him over to UNIT. They, in turn, would probably hand him over to the American government. He's responsible for the deaths of two hundred people, Rose, many of them civilians, and he endangered thousands more. He'd be lucky if he didn't end up facing a death sentence."

"Oh. So... you're actually being kinder, this way?" Rose ventured.

The Doctor shrugged again. "Depends on who you ask. Me, there's been enough death for on day. I'm not willin' to be responsible for any more than there already is."

"And maybe this way he has the chance to be a better person than he was before," Lyssa offered as the doors opened with a whoosh and they stepped out.

"There's the TARDIS," Rose smiled in relief.

The Doctor laid a hand on it pensively. "Little piece of home. Better than nothing."

"Is that the end of it, then? The Time War?" Rose questioned.

The Doctor nodded sadly. "I'm the only one left. I win. How about that?"

"The Dalek survived... maybe some of your people did too," Rose suggested consolingly.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'd know. In here," he gestured to his head. "Feels like there's no one."

"Not even Lyssa?" Rose asked in surprise.

"Me?" Lyssa frowned. "Why would he be able to feel me? I'm not a Time Lord."

"Well, he could earlier. Sort of," Rose admitted. "Or at least, that's what he said."

The Doctor shook his head. "It's not quite like that. The time stream in you wants to match up with mine. When you have more of it in you, it's stronger, and we can usually tell when the other is near. But you're too young, and the Time War..." he trailed off. "It doesn't matter. I'm the last survivor of the Time War, out of billions." He gave a humorless laugh. "How about that?"

Rose took one of his hands. "Well, at least you're not alone anymore. Lyssa and I are here for good, right, Lyssa?"

She laughed. "Right!" She clasped his hand with hers, then immediately dropped it again. "Ow! Wrong hand, sorry."

The Doctor picked her hand back up, examining the reddened knuckles with concern and something similar to pride. "Do you think you broke them?"

She winced when he pressed down. "Ouch! I don't know, but they hurt! Still felt satisfying, though."

Rose peered around the Doctor and frowned when she saw her knuckles. "Lyssa, what did you do?"

"Why do you immediately assume it was something I did?" Lyssa protested. "I could have been innocently standing there -"

"And Van Statten walked into your fist?" the Doctor asked in amusement, dropping her hand for the time being.

She huffed when Rose gasped. "You punched the bloke who's in charge of all this? Why?"

Lyssa narrowed her eyes. "I'm guessing it's for the same reason you slapped Simmons - the guy in what looked like an orange jumpsuit. Because they thought they didn't have to act like a decent human being."

"What happened to him, anyways?" Rose asked with a scowl, looking around the room as if expecting him to appear.

The Doctor crossed his arms nonchalantly. "I may or may not have knocked him out." He smirked darkly at their expressions. "I thought you both were dead, and he came runnin' in ahead of you - clearly having abandoned you to the Dalek - and Van Statten asked him why his face was red. When he told me it was for twistin' your arm - though he tried to phrase it in a less offensive way - I decided to do a bit of bruisin' of my own. He'll be fine. Few loose teeth, and Goddard may have him memory wiped as well, but again, that may have been kinder than what UNIT would have done. Or me, if I saw him again."

"The Dalek almost killed him and Van Statten," Rose informed them. "We were in the office, and it wanted to kill them both. Simmons fainted again before it could do anything, though. And good riddance."

"We'd better get out," Adam interrupted, jogging up to them. "Van Statten's disappeared... they're closing down the base." The Doctor leaned against the TARDIS with his arms crossed, while Lyssa watched the breathless man with amusement. "Goddard says they're going to fill it full of cement! Like it never existed!"

"And about time," Rose snarked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll have to go back home," Adam continued.

"Better hurry up then," the Doctor said coolly. "Next flight to Heathrow leaves at 1500 hours."

"Actually..." Rose interposed, drawing out the word, "Adam was saying that all his life he's wanted to see the stars..."

The Doctor was having none of it. "Tell him to go and stand outside, then."

"He's all on his own, Doctor. And he did help," Rose tried again.

The Doctor scoffed. "He left you down there!"

"So did you!" she countered.

Lyssa winced. "Actually, he had to, or the Dalek likely would have wiped out everyone on base, and possibly in Utah. And it was more of my fault, too, because I didn't stop... And you know what, I don't think I'm helping, I'm going to stop talking now."

"What are you all talking about?" Adam demanded. "We've got to leave, now!"

The Doctor cocked his head at Rose with a smirk. "Rose, he's a bit pretty."

"Is he?" she asked innocently. "I hadn't noticed."

"I should hope not," Lyssa grumbled. "You're still dating Mickey."

The blonde winced. "Actually... we're taking a bit of a break right now."

"What? Oh. OH. I'm sorry! I didn't - You know what, I'm just going to really try and stop talking now, before I permanently land my foot in my mouth. You two work it out without me." She pushed open the TARDIS door and snuck inside, leaving the door cracked open as she plopped down on the bench and waited.

There was some muted muttering before the Doctor finally sighed and announced, "On your own head be it," and came inside. He rolled his eyes in exasperation at Lyssa when he saw her, making her giggle, before heading to the console to tinker with it.

"What're you doing? She said 'cement'. She wasn't joking, we're going to get sealed in!" Adam's protests became louder when Rose opened the TARDIS door and walked in, leaving it open in a clear hint for Adam to follow. "Doctor?" He sounded genuinely concerned for their sanity, making Lyssa laugh again. "What're you doing inside a box? Lyssa? Rose?"

He stuck his head through the doors and his jaw dropped, his eyes growing to comically wide proportions. "Wha-?"

"Close the door before you let in a draft," Rose called.

Almost on autopilot, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, still staring wide eyed at everything around him. "What is this place?" Lyssa bounced up from her spot with a gleeful laugh as the Doctor slammed down a lever and sent them spinning into the vortex. Adam stumbled, nearly falling over before he managed to grab onto the console. "Lyssa! You're - glowing! What on earth is going on?"

"What?" Lyssa let go of the console to bring her golden hands up to her face and nearly faceplanted onto the floor when it shifted, only caught by Rose at the last second. "Oh, right. Thanks. Uh, long story short, I'm not completely human anymore, and so sometimes I glow when we travel in the TARDIS. Don't remember why at the moment, but I think it's something to do with excited particles, or something like that, I don't know. Anyways, we're time-traveling right now."

Adam blinked at her, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Rose snapped her fingers in front of him, snapping him out of it. "You all right, there, Adam?"

He shuddered. "Yeah, sorry," he muttered, still sounding a little dazed. "You're an alien human, and we're traveling in time right now. Am I dreaming?"

Lyssa shook her head, grinning with the Doctor, although the snap reminded her of something important. "Fraid not, sunshine. Oh! Few important things before we land, courtesy of the Doctor's excellent driving skills -"

"Oi!"

"-I was being nice, stop complaining - anyways, there's just a few rules to follow when it comes to travel. One, we can't meddle with history. It's the way it is for a reason, and you don't have the knowledge or the training to to go poking around in it. Two, don't be stupid. We need stupid on the TARDIS like a hole in the head that opens up to the brain. As in, we don't, and it's a really bad idea. Don't ever do it."

"That was... really specific," Rose commented, eyeing her oddly. She shrugged.

The Doctor landed the TARDIS with a groan, Lyssa's hands fading back to the normal as he did so. "And one final rule," he added firmly. "Don't mess with Lyssa or Rose. They're under my protection, and I won't hesitate to throw you out an airlock if you put either of them in danger because of some stupid idea. You got that?"

Adam nodded emphatically. "I think everyone got that message back on base. Trust me, I won't try anything to hurt them. I haven't seen anyone that furious since the Siren escaped right in front of Van Statten." He chuckled. "I heard half the staff got wiped."

Rose smiled, oblivious to the look on the Doctor's and Lyssa's faces. "Well, if you've got down the basic rules of time travel, then I think we're good! Welcome to the TARDIS, Adam!"

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you all had a great Independence Day! (I got to spend mine with the most adorable nephew in the world, and no I'm not at all biased, how could you think that?)**

 **Have you ever been like, "I got this," for a project, then sat down to work on said project, and been like, "I don't got this?" Because I have. :P This episode has given me so much trouble, I'm honestly kind of relieved to be done with it. All well. It's not horrible, and I am done, so we should hopefully be back to our regular 2-part episodes next week. (Depending on whether it's an episode or original, I suppose).**

 **Also, my shoulders got sunburned this morning, and I'm kind of annoyed, because while I know it'll turn into a tan in a day or two, rn it's kind of consistently painful and annoying. :P I suppose it's my fault, for wearing a tank top outside in the sun...**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to afionna262, abbynormal315, and K9 for reviewing!**

 ** _afionna262: I'm glad you liked where I went with it! TBH, I thought about having Lyssa take Rose's place, or being stuck there with her, but then I was like, the Dalek hates her. Rose or not, it's gonna kill her, and I can't have it do that yet. So - no Lyssa with the Dalek, lol. And there should be plenty of fluff coming - I'm a huge fan of fluff, perhaps too much so, lol.  
And I think I've mentioned it once or twice, but I haven't seen anything of Doctor Who past season 9, so anything set past that will be all me, and anything in the show after that point won't be considered canon by me either, as I'll have no idea what happened show-wise.  
(Also, sorry, but in addition to me never having seen the later seasons, I never really wanted to see a female Doctor for various reasons, so there won't be one in this story. I don't think it's a big issue because I'd actually already written up my own version of a thirteenth Doctor who, believe it or not, has already made an appearance in this story, and my story is already wildly AU. Hope that's okay!)  
And, fun fact, I've actually been looking at including some real romance coming up - coincidentally (and you didn't hear this from me) around the same time that she may or may not be getting another bead. ;) Glad that you get the chance for a bit of a calming vacation - we could all use those every now and again. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _abbynormal315: Yay! I'm glad you liked it! And I, for one, think that that's a hilarious chapter title - you should definitely use it. That's the sort of title I aspire to have for my original chapters, lol. And no worries! We'll be seeing plenty more of both the Master and Missy soon enough. :D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _K9: (Nice name, btw) Hahaha, but if I write about weeping angels and you kill me, then how will I write more chapters? It seems a bit contradictory, no? (I didn't mind the weeping angels, tbh. They were scary, but not the worst for me. The empty child, on the other hand... *shudders* And the Face of Boe... should actually be adding in a bit of him soon, ironically enough. :D Nice timing! And, voila! New chapter, ready to read. And, starting next week, a new adventure! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	49. Chapter 49 - The Long Game, Part 1

"The Siren?" the Doctor asked Adam slowly. "Van Statten had the Siren trapped in one of those cells?"

Adam looked at him oddly. "You know about the Siren?"

The Doctor nodded, his face a mask. "How did she get there? How many people died?"

Adam shrugged. "She was there before me. I think she actually just appeared in his base one day, out of nowhere. Kind of like you did, come to think of it. Thirty levels down, didn't know what was going on. It was pretty clear she wasn't human, so Mr. Van Statten locked her up, tried a few experiments. Didn't go down very well. Something skewed the results every time, so all we know is that she's nonhuman, older than she looks, and very powerful."

"Why'd you call her the Siren?" Rose piped up, slowly pulling her hair back into a high ponytail. "Did she tell you to call her that?"

Adam shook his head. "She never talked, just like the Dalek. Just screams or cries. Mr. Van Statten called her that after the fourth time someone went down to her cage to try and help her escape after one of her 'sessions'. Apparently when they heard her cry, they all wanted to help her. It supposedly sounded like a child's cry. He had them all wiped and let go."

Rose curled her lip in disgust. "He just tortured people when he wanted them to talk?"

Adam shifted uncomfortably. "It was really just her and the Dalek. They were the only living ones in his museum. She said something when she first arrived. 'He can't reach me now, I'm free'. Something like that. Almost seemed relieved, until Mr. Van Statten got hold of her. I think she was down there for something like three years before she escaped.

"Took advantage of a power surge when they were transporting her to a lab for some testing. She incapacitated all three guards and vanished right in front of Mr. Van Statten. I hacked the video feeds. He nearly exploded. Wiped everyone involved with the incident, and that's when I started stockpiling alien weapons," he glanced at the Doctor. "And apparently a hair dryer, in case I ever needed to fight my way out."

The Doctor was too lost in the thought to respond to the jab. "She didn't kill anyone?"

Adam shook his head. "She never had the chance until the end, and she didn't then, either. Just knocked out the guards and literally vanished from sight. At least on the cameras. Mr. Van Statten always maintained that she just made her way up to ground level and took off from there. But the only fatalities while she was there came from Mr. Van Statten himself. Not that he'd ever admit it, of course. But I hacked the cameras and the reports."

The Doctor relaxed slightly, looking down at Lyssa. "Must've not been her, then. If she had survived the Time War, she would have killed everyone on the base. Must've been some other poor soul who got trapped."

Lyssa nodded, memories of seeing a hooded form behind the Master when he faced down the Twelfth Doctor popping into her mind. "Poor girl. I hope she's all right now," she whispered.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "I'm sure she's fine now that she's away from Van Statten."

"And what about you?" Lyssa asked him carefully, lowering her voice as Rose started chatting with Adam, apparently flirting. "He - well, I don't know what exactly he did, but I know it was painful. Are you all right?"

He shrugged, playing it off. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Want to see something funny?" She smiled and nodded, deciding to hold off on her questioning until later. He smirked in return and raised his voice. "Rose, want to take a brief look outside? Make sure everythin' is as it should be? Lyssa'll stay here with Adam," he added when the blonde looked confused.

Rose nodded, grabbing her pink and black jacket from over the railing and stepping outside of the TARDIS with him, leaving Lyssa and Adam alone inside. It was slightly awkward, but not too bad. Adam was clearly antsy, still glancing about the console room with awe now that he was no longer distracted by Rose.

"So... Rose mentioned you and the Doctor are pretty close?" he commented awkwardly.

Lyssa nodded. "We're good friends. I've known him for a while now." And this was growing really, really awkward now. _Hurry up, Doctor_ , she thought mentally, trying to come up with some polite form of conversation that wouldn't come across as just being polite conversation.

Thankfully, Rose seemed to be the answer to her silent plea, opening the door and sticking her head in. "Right then, Adam. Out you come!"

Lyssa grinned, stepping up behind him. "If you faint, I'm not going to catch you," she commented, following him out the door. His jaw instantly fell open as he stared, awestruck, at the surroundings. It looked like a business area, with people milling about, and rows of television sets set in the far wall. There was a faint rumbling beneath them, and it was a fair bit hotter than was comfortable.

"This is... Oh my gosh," Adam breathed, rubbing his eyes as if to clear his vision.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Rose said airily, waving a hand in the air.

"Where... where are we?" Adam muttered.

"Good question," Rose praised, assuming a knowledgeable tone. "Let's see. So, um... judging by the architecture, I'd say we're around the year 200,000." Adam nodded and mumbled something, still gawking. The Doctor caught Lyssa's eye and smirked, nodding in confirmation when she raised an eyebrow.

"And if you listen, you can catch the engines," Rose continued. "We're on some sort of space station." She paused, pretending to listen. "Yeah. Definitely a space station. It's a bit warm in here, they could turn the heating down... Tell you what, let's try that gate. Come on!" She took off for a gate to their left, smacking a button with her palm and opening it.

It opened to a large room with an observation window looking out on the Earth. Lyssa felt her breath catch at the sight. For all the times she'd been to other planets, she'd only seen Earth from off-planet once. It truly was an amazing sight.

"And this..." Rose said, sounding a bit awestruck herself as she stepped up to the window and placed a hand against it. Lyssa was right behind her, although she couldn't help a smirk when she saw Adam hanging onto the railings by the wall for dear life as he made his way over to them. "I'll let the Doctor explain this," Rose finished.

The Doctor stepped in, easily taking over. "The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. And there it is. Planet Earth at its height. Covered with mega-cities, five moons and a population of 96 billion. The hub of a galactic domain, stretching across a million planets, a million species - with mankind right in the middle."

There was a girlish sigh then a thud behind them. Neither the Doctor nor Rose turned around, but Lyssa took a bit of a malicious pleasure in seeing Adam's unconscious body slumped over on the floor.

"He's your boyfriend," the Doctor reminded Rose.

She wrinkled her nose. "Not anymore."

Lyssa wandered over and nudged his prone form with her foot. He didn't move. "Do you think he's all right?"

The Doctor shrugged, still looking outside with Rose. "Not my problem."

"If you say so," Lyssa gave in with the minimum amount of struggling. "How do we wake him up? I'd prefer a bucket of water, if I'm being honest; go for the classic and all that, but I don't think I have one readily available." She nudged him again with her boot.

This time, however, he groaned, coming around, and she grinned. "Yay! I was briefly afraid that you were dead!" she announced gleefully when he opened his eyes. "Well, not really, but there was a small amount of concern. Are you all right now?"

"I'm... what happened?" he groaned, pushing himself groggily to his feet. "Did I fall over? Hit my head?"

"You experienced sudden and unexpected syncope at the sight of one of the celestial bodies revolving in place," the Doctor told him carelessly.

Adam blinked at him stupidly, clearly still a bit out of it. "What? Is that bad? Did I get some sort of time sickness? Am I going to die?"

"No. You fainted when you saw the Earth," the Doctor said bluntly.

"Oh." Adam blinked awkwardly, a faint red coloring his cheeks.

The Doctor nodded, smirking. "Yeah. No need to worry, I've seen lots of children get startled at seeing the Earth in space. You should be back to full alertness soon. In the meantime, why don't we move on?"

He threw an arm around Rose and Adam's shoulders, leading them out of the room and winking at Lyssa. "Come on, Adam. Open your mind. You're gonna like this fantastic period of history. The human race at its most intelligent - culture, art, politics. This era has got fine food, good manners..."

"Out of the way!" a man snarled, pushing past him and into the open area ahead full of people. It seemed to be a food court, filled with tables and stools, and stalls filled with vendors offering all sorts of foods. A big 139 was written on the wall at the far end, and people were eating and talking everywhere.

"One at a time!" A chef at one stall ordered as people bumped and jostled each other in line. "One at a time, I said, get back in line!" he shouted as one man tried to cut ahead.

"Fine cuisine?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow, eyeing one woman walking away with a hot dog and future version of a soda.

The Doctor dropped his arms, looking bemused. "My watch must be wrong." He pulled back his sleeve and checked it. "No, it's fine. Weird."

"That's what comes of showing off," Rose scolded him jokingly. "Your history's not as good as you thought it was."

"My history is perfect!" the Doctor said indignantly.

"Well, obviously not," Rose continued teasing him. "I mean, whoever heard of fast food being called fine cuisine?"

"They're all human," Adam said dumbly, staring about at the milling people. "What about the millions of planets? The millions of species? Where are they?"

"Good question," the Doctor complimented him, then looked surprised. "Actually, that IS a good question." He put an arm around his shoulder jovially. "Adam, me old mate, you must be starving."

"No, I'm just a bit time sick," Adam said, rubbing his stomach and looking a bit green at the thought.

"Nah, you just need a bit of grub," the Doctor refuted, turning to the chef. "Oi, mate, how much is a kronkburger?

"Two credits twenty, sweetheart. Now join the queue," the chef explained shortly, forgetting them as soon as he turned back to the line.

"What's a kronkburger? And why am I filled with an intense desire to never ever eat it?" Lyssa complained.

"Oi! Don't diss it till you try it!" the Doctor scolded her. "I'll have you know that most humans after the twenty-third century enjoy them a great deal. But money's the thing! We need money." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and headed to a what looked like a futuristic version of an ATM. "Have to use a cash point."

"Still doesn't explain what it is!" Lyssa retorted. "And I don't have to eat it to think I won't like it. Its name alone just doesn't sound very good. I mean, Kronkburgers? That doesn't sound appetizing in the slightest!"

The Doctor sighed, as if he were put out. "Part of the fun of traveling is in trying new things. Kronkburgers happen to fall under that category. Can't tell you everything, where's the fun in that? Now hold on, just a tick."

Lyssa just groaned and jammed her hands into her pockets, startling when she felt something thin, cold and metal in one of them. Pulling it out, she grinned when she saw it was the credit stick the Doctor had given her on Asgard. "Never mind that, Doctor. I've got them covered."

He looked startled. "Where'd you get that?"

She smirked. "You. Where else?"

He frowned, confused. "When did I give you that?"

She grinned. "Come on, now, Doctor. I can't tell you everything. Where's the fun in that?"

He huffed, taking the credit strip from her and handing it to Adam. "Fine. Be that way. There you go, Adam - pocket money. Don't spend it all at once." He took Lyssa's hand and started to walk away, leaving him with Rose.

"Wait - how does it work?" Adam called after them in confusion.

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes, turning back around. "It's like I told Lyssa! Go and find out! Stop nagging me! The thing is, Adam, time travel's like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers."

Rose raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, clearly disbelieving. Adam just looked confused. "...Or is that just me?" the Doctor grinned. "Stop asking questions, go on, do it!" Clearly giving up on getting a sane answer, Adam just shook his head and turned away into the crowd. Rose made to follow him. "Off you go then. Your first date," the Doctor teased.

She eyed him warningly. "You're going to get a smack, you are." When he just grinned, she shook her head and followed Adam. Once she was gone, the grin faded from his face into a more thoughtful expression.

Watching him think, Lyssa thought of a further way to tease him, her brain-mouth filter clearly still not working properly. Unfortunately, her last bit of control had just walked off with Adam. "You're not the only one, by the way, if you were worried about that."

"Hmm?" He clearly wasn't paying full attention. She could have fun with this.

"Who goes around kissing complete strangers on adventures."

"That's nice."

"Yeah, I've only done it the one time, though. It was my first kiss, actually, believe it or not. Wasn't expecting it at all either."

"Okay."

She grinned. "It was funny, that time. We actually weren't supposed to look at the sun outside, or it would kill you. Although, I suppose it doesn't matter, as we were going to drive into the sun anyways. And several of the former crew were trying to kill us. Nearly got vaporized. That was fun."

"Hold on." The Doctor nearly tripped over thin air, and would have face-planted if not for his quick reflexes. "Did you just say you randomly kiss people on adventures?"

She snorted. "That's what you got from that? And why the shock? Didn't you just say you did that?"

"Yeah, but I was joking!" the Doctor sputtered. "And you're ma- " he hesitated. "You're... not really the type of person to go around kissing random strangers."

She shrugged, conceding the point. "True. He was the one who initiated it. And I suppose he wasn't exactly a random stranger by that point. I knew him at least a little bit by then. So it wasn't as bad as it could have been. He apologized afterwards."

"Wait." He was scowling by now, looking fairly cross. "You mean to tell me that some bloke that you barely knew stole your first kiss? What kind of blighter does that?"

Lyssa snickered. "If it's any consolation, he had great hair."

"Any consol- " he spluttered again. "You were the one who had your first kiss stolen by some creep-"

She whacked him in the chest, fighting a smile. "Oi! I happen to like that creep you're insulting! Sure, he's a bit weird, and has an awful sense of fashion, and acted without thinking; but he also has great hair, apologized for it, and means well. Not to mention that it's a bit of a hard thing to explain. One of those, 'you had to be there to understand it', sorts of things," she explained, a giggle leaking through. She waved it off when he cocked his head at her. "I'll explain when you're older."

He just shook his head at her, although he still looked unhappy. "Well, if you're all right with it, then there's no need for me to make an issue out of it. We've got a bigger matter to handle at the moment. I wouldn't object if you pointed him out to me if you see him again, though."

"I will certainly do that," she promised with a wide grin. "Just be nice about it. He felt awful about it, and already has issues with beating himself up about things that really aren't that big of a deal, or aren't his fault to begin with."

"Fine," the Doctor conceded with a grumble. "Moving on, I don't suppose you happen to know where we are? Could come in handy."

Lyssa glanced over his shoulder at the big 139 written in huge white letters. Maybe this energy boost or whatever from the TARDIS was making her snarky, but she felt that if he missed that, he deserved to suffer. "Probably best to ask one of the locals," she said with an innocent shrug.

She clearly failed at looking innocent, judging by the suspicious look he cast her way, but he dismissed it for the time being to catch the attention of two women walking their way. "Erm... this is gonna sound daft, but can you tell me where I am?"

The dark-skinned woman looked at him as though it were obvious... which it was. "Floor 139... Could they write it any bigger?" She waved a hand at the huge sign on the wall behind him.

The Doctor turned around and saw the letters, then gave Lyssa a dirty look, which she duly ignored as she snickered into her hands. "Just ignore her. Floor 139 of what?"

"Must have been one heck of a party," the woman commented.

"Oh, you're on Satellite Five," the brunette next to her explained.

"What's Satellite Five?" the Doctor asked, continuing his line of questioning.

"Come on, how could you get on board without knowing where you are?" the first woman challenged him.

"Look at me, I'm stupid," the Doctor said pleasantly, immediately reaching out and covering Lyssa's mouth with his hand. "Don't... comment on that, please."

"Hang on, wait a minute, are you a test?" the second woman asked. "Some sort of management test kind of thing?"

"You've got us. Well done. You're too clever for us," the Doctor complimented her, pulling out his psychic paper and showing it to them. "Management, that's us."

"We were warned about this in basic training. All workers have to be versed in company promotion," the second woman rattled off nervously.

"Right. Fire away, ask your questions. If it gets me to Floor 500 I'll do anything," the first woman said as if it were a challenge.

"Why, what happens on Floor 500?" the Doctor asked. Lyssa felt a sudden shiver rack her body despite the high heat.

The woman stared at him. "The walls are made of gold. And you should know... Mr. Management. So... this is what we do." She strode away, leading them towards the wall of TV screens. "Latest news... sandstorms on the new Venus archipelago. Two hundred dead. Glasgow water riots into their third day... Space lane 37 closed by sunspot activity. And over on the Bad Wolf channel, the Face of Boe has just announced he's pregnant."

"I get it. You broadcast the news," the Doctor said understandingly.

The woman smirked. "We _are_ the news. We're the journalists. We write it, package it and sell it. Six hundred channels all coming out of Satellite Five, broadcasting everywhere. Nothing happens in the whole human empire without it going though us."

Lyssa blinked. "So... everyone gets their news from one source? That's it? No other alternate source of information?"

The dark-skinned woman scoffed. "Of course. Where else would they get it? The Oracle Network? All they do is blather about these 'incredible things that are coming soon.' Like the man out of time, and his wife, a woman of time, whatever that means. They're ridiculous, and no one bothers listening to them. Why would they? We have all the information they need right here."

Lyssa leaned closer to the Doctor. "Am I the only one seeing a problem with this?" she whispered. "Any possible way that this could be a bad thing?"

"No," he confirmed quietly. "This isn't good. Things aren't how they're supposed to be." He straightened up and shot a bright smile at the two women. "Sorry. Had to have a quick conference. We brought two of our friends with us, left them in the food court. Mind if we go pick them up before we continue on? Don't want to leave them behind, you know."

The second woman smiled nervously, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Sure. We can show you how the information gets processed after that. That's what you were wanting, right?"

The Doctor nodded. "Right then. We left them right over there." He waved a hand at the crowded tables behind them. "Do you see 'em, Lyssa?"

She stood on the tips of her toes, straining to see over the crowd of people. "I dunno. Do you see how many blondes and brunets there are in this place? All I can see is hair."

"Aww, poor Lyssa," he cooed, taking an elbow to the ribs immediately after. "I can see 'em right over there, in the corner."

"I still can't see them!" Lyssa moaned, hopping up to see over the crowd of people before an alarm sounded, and they all started to get up at once and leave.

"They're right there, see?" the Doctor pointed at an opening in the crowd, where Rose and Adam. "Oi! Mutt and Jeff! Over here!" he called, raising his voice and waving as the two turned to face him. Rose held a cup in her hand, which she dumped in a nearby trash can as they headed towards him. "These are my associates, Rose and Adam. Rose, Adam, these ladies -"

"Cathica," the dark-skinned woman inserted.

"And I'm Suki," the brunette next to her added.

"- were about to give us a tour of the place, show us how it works," the Doctor finished. "So then, where are we going to start?"

"The spike room," Cathica said easily, smiling at them. "Follow me. I know exactly where it's at."

"Do you get the feeling she's trying just a little bit too hard for a promotion?" Lyssa muttered under her breath as they followed the two women to a white room.

"What gives you that idea?" the Doctor returned with a smirk. "The sucking up or how by-the-books she is?"

"Oh, I was gonna say it was the -" she stopped as they entered the room, where six other people were sitting cross-legged around an octagonal platform with a chair in the middle. A metal device that looked vaguely reminiscent of a torture device from the Middle Ages hung above it. "Oh. Right. Forgot this bit," she said softly.

"Forgot what?" the Doctor asked her in the same tone.

"Basic stupidity," she muttered, watching Suki get down and join the others while Cathica walked to the raised platform. "You'll see." She leaned against the railing with Rose and Adam, watching as Cathica began her spiel.

"Now. Everybody behave. We have a management inspection." She turned to the Doctor. "How do you want it? By the book?"

"Oh, right from scratch, thanks," the Doctor said easily.

"Cathica's looking for a promotion," Lyssa whispered to Rose. "Soon as she thought we were management, she's been doing everything she can to get noticed."

"...name is Cathica Santini Kadainy. That's Cathica with a 'C', in case you want to write to Floor 500 praising me, and please... do..."

"Case in point," Lyssa finished with a smirk as the Doctor gave a non-commital jerk of his head.

"Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and be non-biased. That's company policy," Cathica said with a smile at the Doctor.

"Actually... that's the law," Suki interjected, shooting a smile of her own at the Doctor.

Lyssa wrinkled her nose, shifting in her spot as she tried not to glare at the brunette. "Trying a bit too hard there."

Rose glanced at her, then over at Suki, then suddenly grinned with comprehension. "Trying what too hard? To be nice?"

"That's not just being nice," she muttered.

"Then what is it?" Rose asked, waggling her eyebrows at the brunette. "She hasn't been doing any sucking-up that I've seen. What else could it be?"

Lyssa opened her mouth to speak, then stopped, suddenly unsure of what to say. She closed it again, glaring at the blonde who only grinned wider at the sight. "Shut up," she grumbled, flushing.

"I didn't say anything," Rose half-sang, blinking innocently at the Doctor when he shushed them.

"Here we go," Cathica announced, startling Lyssa as she lay down in the chair. "And... engage safety..."

Each of the staff held their hands out over two hand-shaped pads in front of them by the platform, the eight walls lighting up behind them as they did so. Cathica clicked her fingers, and a door opened in her forehead, the skin folding back to reveal her brain through the small hole.

Lyssa looked away, trying not to retch at the sight. The Doctor appeared only slightly less disgusted, and Rose was alarmed, but Adam leaned forward in interest, trying to get a closer look. The staff, all completely unfazed, placed their hands on their pads and closed their eyes.

"And 3... 2... and spike," Cathica declared, closing her eyes. A blue light shot down from the contraption above her chair into her brain.

The Doctor frowned, taking it all in. "Compressed information, streaming into her. Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer."

"If it all goes through her, she must be a genius," Rose said in a tone of wonder.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nah. She wouldn't remember any. There's too much, her head would blow up. The brain's the processor. As soon as it closes, she forgets." He pushed off from the railing and began to circle around the room, Rose following.

"So, what about all these people around the edge?" Rose asked, peering at one of the staff.

"They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her... and they transmit 600 channels. Every single fact in the empire beams out of this place. Now that's what I call power," the Doctor commented, not looking nearly as impressed as his words sounded.

"No, but seriously, all the news comes from one place, and that's it?" Lyssa insisted, catching up with them. "She's got a hole in her head, and and they've got the chip thingies, that connect them to the computers. Who thought that was a good idea?"

"Hold that thought," Rose interrupted. "Adam looks a bit sick, and I think the gig'll be up if he throws up on Cathica." They returned to the younger man, who was still staring at the hole in Cathica's head. "You all right?"

"I can see her brain," he mumbled, unblinking.

"Do you want to get out?" she asked in concern.

He shook his head. "No. No, this technology... it's, it's amazing!"

"This technology is wrong," the Doctor interjected brusquely, the others all turning to look at him.

"Trouble?" Rose asked.

The Doctor caught her eye with a grin. "Oh yeah."

Rose smirked in return. Lyssa just shook her head and leaned up against the railing once more, then glanced up, frowning at the sight of a camera in the corner as it panned the room. It never stopped moving, never focused on any one of them, but it felt... wrong, somehow. Something was off about it, she just didn't know what.

And then Suki gasped and jerked her hands back from the platform as if she had been burned. The other staff members were forced to lift their hands as well, and the lights abruptly shut off, canceling the stream of information into Cathica. She opened her eyes and sat up in annoyance as the hole in her head closed.

"Come off it, Suki, I wasn't even halfway, what was that for?"

"Sorry," she apologized, rubbing her hands together and breathing heavily. "Must've been a glitch."

Cathica shook her head and stood up with the rest, smiling apologetically at the Doctor. "I assure you, this doesn't happen often. Hardly ever, actually. We're very good at what we do here. Well." She cast a scathing look at Suki. "Most of us."

The loudspeakers came on suddenly, startling Lyssa, who had been balancing a little too close to the end of the railing, and she fell over with a yelp when the voice announced, " _Promotion,_ " and a projection appeared on the wall with the same words.

"You all right?" Rose asked with a snicker, crouching by Lyssa, who had her face smushed up against the floor.

"Shut up," she grumbled, her voice muffled. The Doctor didn't even try to mask his laughter as he hauled her to her feet. "It's not my fault I got startled. The stupid thing came on out of nowhere."

Cathica wasn't even paying attention to them, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together as she prayed just a little too eagerly, screwing her eyes shut like a child making a wish. "This is it. Come on, make it me. Come on, say my name. Say my name, say my name."

The group looked at her in concern, although Adam still appeared a bit too interested in the chair. Lyssa glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He was barely paying attention to Cathica, deep in thought about something else.

" _Promotion for... Suki Macrae Cantrell,_ " the loudspeaker announced, displaying the words on the screen as well. The girl in question just sat there in shock, her mouth falling open while Cathica looked gutted. " _Please proceed to Floor 500._ "

Suki scrambled to her feet, still staring at the projection. "I don't believe it! Floor 500!"

Cathica's face twisted. "How the heck did you manage that? I'm above you!"

"I don't know!" Suki exclaimed, half laughing, half shocked. "I just applied on the off-chance... and they said yes!" she finished excitedly, bouncing a little in place.

"That's so not fair!" Cathica protested. "I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years!"

Rose looked between the two women, completely confused, before leaning towards the Doctor. "What's Floor 500?"

"The walls are made of gold," the Doctor informed her in a mock-ecstatic tone.

"Fool's gold," Lyssa added heavily, coming to stand beside them, her face set. "We have to stop her."

"Do you know what's up there, Lyssa?" Rose asked her.

Lyssa nodded somberly, pulling her journal out of her pocket and flipping it open to a page near the back. "I don't remember much, but if Suki goes up there, she's going to die. Also, I think there's a slug named Max. Which is kind of weird, but I think it might be relevant later. Anyways, we have to stop her. Any ideas?"

"Hold that thought, I think they're leaving for the lift," Rose interrupted, jerking her head at the door, where Cathica and Suki were both leaving.

The group exchanged glances and followed them, Adam tagging along a short distance behind before finally sitting down on a bench. Suki ran off and returned a moment later with a backpack as the others waited by the elevator, a small slot for a key card inside the waiting door.

"Cathica, I'm gonna miss you," Suki said eagerly, dropping her bag on the ground and giving a hug to the older woman, who returned it reluctantly. "Floor 500!" she repeated excitedly, turning to the Doctor and Lyssa. "Thank you!"

He shook his head somberly. "I didn't do anything."

"Well, you guys are my lucky charm anyways," she countered.

The Doctor shook his head again. "Sorry, Suki. Not like that. We literally didn't do anything. It wasn't us who gave you that promotion. Not anyone on our end."

She stopped, losing some of her cheer. "What do you mean? What are you saying?"

"I mean, if we didn't assign it to you, who did?" He asked slowly.

"Wait, are you telling me there was some sort of glitch in the system?" Cathica questioned, looking back and forth between the two. "Or was it just another branch of management and you haven't been informed yet? You never told us what exact position you were."

The Doctor shrugged, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Let's just say that if we didn't assign it to you, you probably aren't meant to go up there." He shifted, and Lyssa caught sight of his sonic hidden against his jacket under his arm. A moment later, it started whirring.

"What's that sound?" Cathica raised her head, glancing at the ceiling of the corridor, then around the area.

"Probably the vents," Lyssa said carelessly, glancing at the Doctor. When he nodded, she nodded back in relief. "We didn't assign the promotion to you, so you won't have access to Floor 500. It won't let you up. You can still try it though, if you think it wasn't a glitch."

Suki blinked. "I guess." She pulled a small key card out of her pocket and slid it into the slot. It beeped and spat it back out at her, informing her it was an invalid key. Her shoulders sagged in disappointment. "I guess you were right about it being a computer glitch after all."

Lyssa's shoulders sagged involuntarily in relief, though she tried to play it off. "It's not because we think you don't deserve it, Suki. You either, Cathica," she added, drawing the attention of both women to her. "We know both of you work very hard and diligently at your jobs, and I promise you that we're going to look into this issue. It's not fair to either of you that this had to happen. If I have my way, you'll both have a new job by the end of the day."

Cathica looked appeased, but a glimmer of suspicion entered Suki's eyes, though she played it off easily, acting all cheerful and happy about the prospect of still getting her promotion.

"Well, I guess this means you'll get to see me again after all," Suki told Cathica cheerfully, picking up her bag and heading back to the staff room with the rest of the group, while Rose stayed behind to talk to Adam. "And I'll get to properly say goodbye to Steve this time, too."

"You act like you wouldn't have seen him again," the Doctor said casually, his tone inviting as they entered the now-empty staff room, Rose joining them a minute later.

"I wouldn't have," Suki said slowly, the suspicious look in her eye growing stronger. "Once you go up to Floor 500, you never come back. " The Doctor raised a curious eyebrow at Lyssa, and she nodded once in confirmation. "You stay on the floor you're assigned to. Why are you testing us on this?"

Lyssa's lips curled up into a smile. "You're the journalists here. Can you come up with a reason?"

"Look, they only give us twenty minutes maintenance, can't you give it a rest?" Cathica interjected.

"But you've never been to another floor? Not even one floor down?" the Doctor asked mildly, settling himself in the chair in the center. Rose leaned up against the back of it, and Lyssa began circling the room, while Suki and Cathica stood near the back.

Cathica sighed. "I went to floor 16 when I first arrived. That's medical, and that's when I got my head done, and then I came straight here. On Satellite Five, you work, eat and sleep on the same floor. That's it, that's all." She slowed to a stop, eyeing them. "You're not management, are you?"

"At last! She's clever!" the Doctor praised sarcastically.

"Suki figured it out already, didn't you?" Lyssa asked the brunette pointedly. "Like senses like."

She shrugged, dropping the cheerful, naive manner like an old hat and speaking in a much cooler tone. "It was pretty easy, honestly. You and him were a bit closer than a work relationship would allow. Then there's your two friends, especially the dark-haired one. Didn't have a clue what was going on. That's a bit strange for management. And the whole bit with the key. They don't have glitches. And the keys they issue always work. Except for the one time you're here. Little things, that added up."

The Doctor grinned and started applauding. "Excellent work, Suki. You might want to take notes, Cathica. That's how a journalist does it."

She didn't respond at first, clearly disconcerted, then finally managed a weak reply. "Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything."

Lyssa snorted. "Clearly."

"Lyssa! Be nice!" Rose ordered her, laughter evident in her tone, although she didn't bother moving from her spot by the Doctor's chair.

"Don't you even ask?" the Doctor continued, ignoring the two of them.

"Well, why would I?" she retorted, still not getting it.

The Doctor looked at her like she was missing the big point - which she was. "You're a journalist! Just follow Suki's example! For example, why's all the crew human?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" she exclaimed, thrown off by the unexpected detour.

"There's no aliens on board. Why?" the Doctor asked slowly. "Suki, don't answer."

Cathica shook her head. "I don't know. No real reason - they're not banned, or anything."

The Doctor made a show of peering about the room for any sign of them. "Then where are they?"

"I suppose immigration's tightened up. It's had to, what with all the threats," she said weakly, glancing at Suki, who just shrugged back at her.

"What threats?" the Doctor asked relentlessly, clearly enjoying her slow realization.

"I don't know... all of them, I guess," she shrugged, looking lost as she realized how little she actually knew. "Usual stuff. And the price of space warp doubled so that kept the visitors away. Oh, and the government on Traffic Five's collapsed, so that lot stopped coming, you see... just... lots of little reasons, that's all."

The Doctor shook his head in disappointment. "And you were doing so well. All that adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice."

"Doctor, I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything," Cathica assured him.

"Do you?" Lyssa asked suddenly. "Because it appears to me like Satellite Five isn't run by the people. It's run by one specific entity, who doesn't have your best interests in mind. I mean, think about it. Everyone's separated on different floors, and you never leave them! You don't hear different versions of a story, you hear the one! The people who go to Floor 500 are never heard from again. There are no aliens on Satellite Five - which means no new information from them comes in either. Did none of that ever appear suspicious to you?"

The Doctor nodded, getting up from his chair and coming to stand beside Lyssa. "She's right. This society's the wrong shape. Even the technology."

"It's cutting edge!" Cathica protested.

"It's backward! There's a great big door in your head! You should've chucked this out years ago!" the Doctor retorted.

"Honestly, who even thought that was a good idea in the first place?" Lyssa added. "Not only are you literally putting a hole in your head, you're opening yourself up to a whole new set of dangers. And it's also, you know, really stupid. I need a door to open up to my brain like a hole in the head. Oh wait." She snapped her fingers to illustrate her point and unintentionally allowed the hole in Cathica's forehead to open up, revealing her brain once more.

Cathica cast her an unamused look and shut it again. "Very funny. How else are we supposed to process the information?"

Lyssa snorted. "That was actually unintentional, believe it or not." She glanced around at the room of disbelieving faces. "Oh, come on. It was!"

"Anyways, so what do you think is going on?" Rose asked, changing the subject.

"It's not just this space station, it's the whole attitude," the Doctor said slowly. "It's the way people think. The Great and Bountiful Human Empire's stunted. Something's holding it back."

"And how would you know?" Cathica accused him defensively.

"Trust me," he said simply. "Humanity's been set back about ninety years. When did Satellite Five start broadcasting?"

"Ninety-one years ago..." Cathica said slowly. The Doctor simply nodded, letting her come to the conclusion on her own. She lost her defensive posture, looking away thoughtfully. It wasn't acceptance, but she was starting to think for herself now, and that was always a good place to start.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey all! Hope your week's been going pretty good! I got a bit of bad news for you. :P Due to the craziness of this summer (where I work, it's insane) I'm going to have to shorten my updates for the month of July, and possibly part of August. I'll still be updating (probably very late) every Saturday night, but the chapters themselves will be more between 3-4000 words, as opposed to the usual 4-5000 that I strive for. Therefore, it's likely that there may be one or two episodes that I write that are three parts, instead of my usual two.**

 **Hope that's okay with everyone, I wish I could go back to the longer chapters, but I quite honestly can't handle that right now. :/ Hopefully, once things start to wind down in August, I'll be able to go back up to my longer chapters. In the meantime, my chapters will unfortunately be shorter.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to afionna262, V, Mermaid1108, Fakira, and philindaforever for reviewing! (251 reviews, guys. That's crazy! Thank you all so much!)**

 ** _afionna262: We only got part of the way in this one, but there's a bit of jealous/protective Doctor here... does that count? Romance/fluff is coming, it's just taking it's time... ;) And it'll probably be a while before the thirteenth Doctor actually appears as such. For now, he's limited to hidden cameos. :D And thanks for pointing out the title typo! I did not notice that, but hopefully it's all fixed now, and thanks for bringing it to my attention! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _V: Hahaha, have fun binge-reading, lol. Thank you for telling the characters to listen because sometimes I really need it... (I'm laughing on the outside, but on the inside, I'm begging the characters to just do what I tell them to do, lol). Gratitude to you, your house, and your cow for an awesome review, I hope the Fourth was with you as well, and thank you so much for hilarious, awesome reviews. They were a great pick me up when work has been driving me insane. (Not my coworkers, who are all awesome, but the business... whoo boy.) Hope you liked it! :D_**

 ** _Mermaid1108: The Siren? Where? No worries... the Doctor clearly states that it couldn't have been her. So it can't be her... right? *grins innocently and shoves halo on top of head. It promptly falls off* Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it!_**

 ** _Fakira: No worries. I won't ever object to people telling me they liked my work, lol. And don't feel bad. You're telling me now that you liked it, so I still get to hear that you liked it. :D And more bits with Adam coming up - couldn't get to much here, due to time constraints, but it's definitely coming up. And Lyssa will be much less... reserved with her comments than usual. Should prove interesting. :D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _philindaforever: Well, from the Doctor's perspective, he and Lyssa are already *SPOILERS REDACTED*. Lyssa will be confronting her feelings for the Doctor very soon, but how she deals with that... is *SPOILER REDACTED* I promise the romance is coming, though! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	50. Chapter 50 - The Long Game, Part 2

"We're so gonna get in trouble," Cathica moaned anxiously, biting her thumbnail. "You're not allowed to touch the mainframe, you're gonna get told off."

The Doctor groaned in exasperation, scanning the side of the elevator with his sonic. "Rose, Lyssa, one of you tell her to button it."

Rose grinned, leaning forward from the wall where she had been relaxing with Lyssa, and catching Cathica's eye. "Hey, Cathica? Button it."

"Aww, you're no fun," Lyssa pouted, feeling a slight throbbing beginning in her head. "I wanted to be the one to tell her."

Rose jerked her head at a silent Suki. "You can still tell her, if you want to."

The older woman smirked. "Can't promise I'll listen."

"You can't just vandalize the place, someone's gonna notice!" Cathica whispered urgently. "Suki! Tell them!"

"Bit late now, don't you think?" Suki countered, jerking her head at the Doctor, who had just managed to open the door, and was wearing an expression of triumph. He stepped inside the elevator and moved to the panel by the wall, using his sonic on that as well.

Cathica shook her head. "All right, that's it. This is nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work. Suki, come on." She spun around and began to walk away, though Suki stayed in her spot, watching the Doctor intently.

"Go on then, see ya!" the Doctor called uncaringly over his shoulder.

Cathica seemed to notice the lack of anyone by her side and turned back around. "Suki! Come on! This has nothing to do with us!"

"This has everything to do with us," Suki countered. "There's something up there, and I want to know what. We're journalists, Cathica. We investigate, we report. Even if that means doing something that might be against the rules."

Cathica narrowed her eyes at the other woman, who met her gaze unflinchingly, before sighing and walking back to them. "I can't just leave you, can I? I'm the only one who follows the rules!"

"If you wanna be useful, get 'em to turn the heating down," Rose snarked. "It's boiling. What's wrong with this place, can't they do something about it?"

"I don't know, we keep asking," Cathica told her. "Something to do with the turbine."

The Doctor scoffed. "Something to do with the turbine," he repeated mockingly.

"Well, I don't know," Cathica retorted indignantly.

"Clearly," Lyssa muttered, smirking when the older woman glared at her.

"Why? Do you think it's part of whatever all this is?" Suki asked the Doctor, eyes curious and watchful.

He shrugged, pulling off the panel and revealing multiple wires underneath. He wasted no time starting to pry through them. "Could be. Nice job asking though. That's the proper way to do it. You should take notes, Cathica. I mean, look at Rose." The blonde smirked at him. "Rose is asking the right sort of questions."

"Oh, thank you," Rose beamed.

"Oi! What about me?" Lyssa pouted.

"You haven't been asking any questions," the Doctor teased her. "Right useless, you are." He glanced back up to Cathica. "Rose's on the right track. Why's it so hot?"

She just stared at him. "One minutes you're worried about the Empire, and the next it's the central heating!"

He shrugged. "Well, never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing's very important."

"It's true," Lyssa agreed, nodding sagely and swiping a few beads of sweat off her brow. "Empires have fallen because of the plumbing. Are falling? Will fall?" She huffed and pouted at the Doctor. "I hope you realize that this is all your fault. I never used to have this much trouble with tenses."

A snapping sound made her peer over his shoulder to see the Doctor holding a bunch of broken wires. He grinned sheepishly at her. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What was that you were saying about the plumbing?"

"I said it's very important. These, however," he hefted the broken wires, "are connected to the cameras in the spike rooms. And do you know what's very interesting about them?"

"What?" she humored him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"The security feed is still being sent through. I ran a scan. No interruption in the visual link."

"But.. what does that mean?" Rose asked uncertainly. "I thought you said those were for the cameras, and you just broke them."

"I did," he agreed. "But I bet that if you were to run back to that office we were in right now, the camera would still be moving."

"I don't get it," Rose frowned. "Do you mean that it's battery operated, or somethin' like that?"

He didn't answer her right away. "Suki, who monitors the video feed?"

"Management. They keep an eye on things, take care of any problems that might arise." Suki cocked her head at him. "What are you getting at?"

"I'm saying that the camera in your spike room was a fake, most likely. You didn't think it was at all odd that we were in there, pretending to be management when we clearly weren't, and talking about some great secrets going on in management, and it didn't stop once, didn't zoom in on us, no alarm was activated, nothing? I monitored it the whole time, and nothing!"

"But... they have to have the cameras, to ensure that no one's trying to change the news," Cathica frowned. "It's the law. All cameras have to be arranged in a certain spot, and they get inspected all the time."

"By who?" he prodded.

"By manage..." She blinked. "...-ment."

He nodded. "There you go. Fake cameras set up to appease the masses, then have real ones hidden in the walls and fixtures, that send the feed to management. The plumbing doesn't lie, Cathica."

"But, but, but that's against the law!" she protested. "All cameras have to be within clear view, and hidden ones are disallowed in the spike rooms. Everything's supposed to be out in the open and aboveboard."

Suki suddenly groaned and rolled her eyes. "Come off it, Cathica. There's clearly something going on here that's not honest and 'aboveboard.' Furthermore, it looks like it's coming from management. Why don't you start actually living up to your title and investigating a bit?"

"Oh, like you've done any better," Cathica fired back. "You never noticed any of those things either."

"Really?" Suki countered, her voice suddenly cold and harsh. "I never noticed that the facts being presented to the people were manipulated? That the truth was being hidden? That the people who got promotions were all people who asked a few too many questions, who caused a bit too much trouble? I noticed more than you ever did, Cathica, and yet these three were able to come along and find out more in the space of a single afternoon than we could in years!"

"Got it!" the Doctor suddenly interrupted them triumphantly. "Oh, wait. You were in the middle of - never mind. Here we go, Satellite Five. Pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout." He pulled the screen from the wall and pressed a button, displaying a confusing array of information and moving to the side so that they could step forward and see.

"This is ridiculous. You've got access to the computer's core. You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange... and you're looking at pipes?" Cathica sneered, taking a look anyways.

"But there's something more," the Doctor told her, unoffended.

She frowned, but turned back to the screen. "I suppose," she admitted slowly after another minute.

"Why, what is it?" Rose asked, looking at the screen with as much comprehension as Lyssa. Several bits of information flashed on the screen with such speed that Lyssa got dizzy, having to lean against the wall to keep her balance.

"The ventilation system. Cooling ducts, ice filters, all working flat out... channeling massive amounts of heat _down_ ," Cathica explained, looking up to the ceiling.

"All the way from the top," the Doctor said mildly, deliberately avoiding saying the words, _'I told you so.'_

"Floor 500," Rose realized.

Lyssa wiped some sweat from her brow, mentally wondering why it was suddenly so much hotter. "So if it's this hot down here, how hot is it up there, with all that?"

The Doctor shrugged, using his sonic on the screen as more information flashed on and off again. "Something up there is generating tons and tons of heat."

Lyssa felt another spell of dizziness, and nearly fell over, only saved from kissing the floor when the Doctor caught her. She blinked up at him confusedly, recognizing that he was saying something, but unable to make out what he was actually saying as her vision suddenly flashed gold.

When she was able to see again, she was leaning heavily on the Doctor, and the temperature had dropped to a near freezing level. And she could have sworn that she saw snow falling inside. Rose and Suki stood off to one side, and Cathica was nowhere to be found. In front of them stood a man with snow white hair and blue eyes, dressed in a formal suit, staring at a row of screens.

"Hello, I'm the Editor," he called without turning from the screens. "Hope you don't mind. I started without you. This is fascinating. Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements, but all four of you... don't exist." He turned away from the screen and shot them a sinister smirk, walking over and stopping in front of Suki. "But you, my dear... aren't quite as good at hiding who you are as the rest."

He snapped his fingers, and a hologram of Suki appeared, smiling and cheerful as she had been earlier that day. _"My name is Suki Macrae Cantrell. I was born 1-9-9 apostrophe 8-9 in the Independent Republic of Morocco."_

"Liar!" the man declared, before the hologram continued.

 _"Hobbies include reading and archaeology. I'm not an expert or anything, I just like digging."_

"Liar!" The Editor snapped his fingers again, and it fast-forwarded to a different point.

 _"I want to work for Satellite Five because my sister can't afford university, and the pay scheme is really good."_

"Liar!" the man finally shouted before calming. "Let's look at the facts now, shall we?" He snapped his fingers again. This time the projection changed to another picture of Suki, now in army fatigues, firing a gun and shouting at her comrades. "Ah, hidden behind a genetic graft, but that's still you. Eva San Julienne. Last surviving member of the Freedom Fifteen! Hmm, self declared anarchist, is that right?"

Lyssa blinked, and Suki was holding a gun, aiming it at the man. "Who controls Satellite Five?" she demanded coldly. The Doctor snagged Rose's jacket and pulled her and Lyssa back harshly, staring at Suki in shock.

The Editor raised his hands as if in shock, but then burst out laughing and lowered them. "There's the truth! And you know how we're all about truth here at Satellite Five!"

Suki cocked her gun, unfazed. "The Freedom Foundation has been monitoring Satellite Five's transmissions. We have absolute proof that the facts are being manipulated. You are lying to the people."

"Ohh, I love it," the Editor practically giggled. "Say it again!"

"This whole system is corrupt!" she spat. "Who do you represent?"

"Ah, ah, ah," he waggled his finger at her. "Not quite so fast. There's still a few more players in this game that are unknown, and I never play games without knowing the players." Completely ignoring the gun, he stepped around Suki and to the Doctor, Lyssa, and Rose. "Not a trace! No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss. How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?"

The Doctor just glared at him. "I travel by ship."

The Editor laughed. "Clever! I like you. And your little blonde friend, equally unknown." He nodded at Rose, then stopped by Lyssa, who blinked through bleary eyes at him. The edges of her vision were still tinged with gold, her head throbbed, and despite the freezing temperatures, sweat dripped off her forehead. "But you... you are someone special. Someone... known. Lyssa Devons, occasionally thought to be the Oracle."

He smirked and leaned down by her ear, ignoring the Doctor's tense posture. "I think you and I both know they're wrong," he whispered so only she could hear. "You're no more the Oracle than your friend over there is the Siren." She flinched, and he stepped back and laughed.

"And there we are! Woman of many titles, not all of them good. Child of Time, wanderer, prophet, angel," his eyes flickered to the Doctor, "fairy-girl." He grinned when the Doctor's face darkened. "Death-bringer, demon, temptress, liar, betrayer, prisoner, and, perhaps my personal favorite... dead."

Lyssa just stared at him. "Right. Well, sorry, but the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

The Editor hummed as if deep in thought. "Hmm, I think maybe not," he countered after a minute. "Just because you're perfectly alive for the time being doesn't mean you still won't be dead at a later date. Or earlier, considering who you are." He stood back and looked her over speculatively, tapping his mouth in consideration.

"You don't look like you did," he commented in disappointment. "Where's the glowing eyes of rage? Your hair and attire is all wrong, and you're missing the whole -" he held out his hands as if he were carrying a massive gun. "And, where's all the blood? You're supposed to be a bloody soldier, but you don't look anywhere close to the part. I tell you what, I am properly disappointed."

"Right," Lyssa said slowly. "You're clearly bonkers, to borrow a phrase, but I guess... I'm sorry for not looking like how the tabloids made me out to be?" She frowned in confusion at the Doctor and he just shrugged back at her.

"No, no, no, no, no," the Editor said promptly, shaking his head in disgust. "We are not the tabloids. We don't produce those anymore. All news comes from us, and all we print is the truth."

"That's a lie," Suki snapped, glaring at him. "I already told you we have clear evidence that you're manipulating the facts that you give the people. You're lying to millions!"

He sighed. "Oh, Eva. What makes a thing true? It's all a matter of belief, and the people believe what we say, and that's what matters."

"It's really not," Rose objected, zipping her jacket a bit tighter for warmth. "Believing a lie doesn't make it a truth, it just makes you deceived."

"You sure about that, blondie?" the Editor quipped. "You see, we - my Editor in Chief and I - have a great deal of experience when it comes to the human race. There's this delightful little phenomenon known as the placebo effect. Where your belief makes a thing true, rather than the object itself. Mainly used in medicine, but it can be applied elsewhere as needed."

He began to pace like a teacher lecturing his students, loosely clasping his hands behind his back. "When billions of people believe a thing is true, it starts to affect how they live their lives. It seeps into the core of their very being, becomes a part of who they are. To undermine that would disrupt everyone on that lovely planet down below." He waved a hand vaguely at a wall. "To them, it is true, and that's all that matters."

The Doctor glared at him. "Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief, or ignorance. Doesn't matter what you say, or how you say it, the truth is always the truth, and anything else is a lie."

The Editor wrinkled his nose, brushing off an imaginary spot on his tie. "So black and white. I find it much easier if I look at things in varying shades of gray. I recommend it. Life isn't nearly as troublesome if you stop having rigid borders."

"These people back here," Suki interrupted. "Why haven't they paid any attention to us? I've got a gun, and they haven't even blinked." She pushed past the Editor to the row of workstations and screens behind him, where a group of people were silently working. She crouched by the man at the end and waved a hand in front of his face, but got no reaction. "They don't even notice me. What's going on? And why've they got frost on their faces?"

"I think they're dead," the Doctor said quietly.

Suki stared at him. "But... they're working! Marc, got promoted three months back, he's right over there at the end, still working!" She pointed at another man three chairs down.

"They've all got chips in their head, and the chips keep going. Like puppets," the Doctor explained.

Rose looked disgusted. "Is that what happens to everyone who dies? They just get shuttled off up here to work while they're dead?"

"These are all people who got promoted," Suki said softly, resting her hand on the table in front of the man. "Floor 500, where the walls are made of gold, and you never come back. We all thought it was supposed to be like heaven. Everyone wanted to go there."

The Doctor nodded somberly. "Like a false prophet promising heaven. But it's not just that. You got promoted, and you were secretly working to undermine them. It's a way to keep control among the masses. Take out everyone who could possibly disrupt the flow."

"Ohhh! You're full of information!" the Editor congratulated him, applauding. "But it's only fair we get information back, because apparently, you're no-one." He laughed. "It's so rare not to know something. Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter, 'cause we're off. Nice to meet you." The Doctor gave him a fake smile, adjusted his hold on Lyssa, and turned to Rose. "Come on."

They started for the elevator at the back of the room, but were stopped by four of the zombie-workers. One grabbed Lyssa, forcing her to stand upright, while two grabbed the Doctor, and another one restrained Rose. Suki tried to go after them, but the worker by her hand grabbed it, forcing it against the table. She tried to go for her gun, but the drone twisted her hand painfully, causing her to drop it and instinctively clutch at the other one, but was immediately restrained.

"Tell me who you are!" the Editor repeated. "I already know who two of you are, why not just fill me in on the rest?" he coaxed.

The Doctor gave up on straining against his captors. "Since that information's keeping us alive, I'm hardly gonna say, am I?"

The Editor smiled. "Well, perhaps my Editor in Chief can convince you otherwise."

"And who's that?" the Doctor challenged.

"It may interest you to know that this is not the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. In fact, it's not actually human at all. It's merely a place where humans happen to live." A loud, angry growling noise filled the room, and he winced apologetically. "Yeah, sorry. It's a place where humans are allowed to live by kind permission of my client." He snapped his fingers and pointed upwards.

Lyssa tilted her head upwards reluctantly. Hanging from the ceiling like a bat, was an enormous slug-like creature, deep red and with a large mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth. It had black, beady eyes that were fixated on her, and she swallowed nervously.

"What is that?" Rose asked nervously, unable to take her eyes off it. "Doctor? What is that?"

"You mean that thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" the Doctor asked in disbelief.

The Editor sniffed. "That 'thing,' as you so crudely put it, is in charge of the human race." The Doctor whipped his head around to stare at the Editor in alarm. "For almost a hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided, its knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by its broadcast news. Edited by my superior, your master, and humanity's guiding light, the mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe."

The Jagrafess roared, its head extending from the blob of its body as it grew alarmingly close to Lyssa. She shrunk back, only to come into contact with the freezing skin of the drone behind her.

"I call him Max," the Editor continued, smiling complacently. "But look at me, I'm not being a proper host. Allow me to show you the true generosity of my client, and give you a proper place to stay." He snapped his fingers, and the drones dragged them forward by the desks, where a large metal contraption was standing, with wires and tubing wrapped around it, and a wire crosspiece near the top, just above their heads.

"I hope you understand, we don't use ropes anymore," the Editor told them apologetically. "I know that's the norm, but I just find it so cliche. So... savage. We're more caught up with the times, here at Satellite Five." He glanced down at Suki, still held captive by the drone next to her. "Bring her, too. I don't want to make her a drone just yet."

One by one, they were lined up against the crosspiece and manacles placed around their wrists, a strong piece of metal connecting the two bands, then leading back to the crosspiece behind them. Lyssa fell forward slightly against the bar when the drone released her, panting and dizzy. Suki was shoved up next to her, and she groaned when the pounding in her head increased exponentially.

"You all right?" Suki whispered. "You were talking to the Doctor by the lift, when you just sort of... slumped over. Would've fallen if he hadn't caught you."

The Doctor was restrained next, then Rose, the manacles clicking into place. "I'm fine," Lyssa whispered back. "Just got a headache. Is it just me, or is it growing hotter in here?"

Suki looked at her like she was crazy. "It's freezing in here! How can you not feel that?"

"Excuse me, could you pay attention when I'm talking, please?" the Editor interrupted them, looking offended. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying, if we create a climate of fear... then it's easy to keep the borders closed. It's just a matter of emphasis. The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilize an economy... invent an enemy... change a vote..."

"So... all the people on Earth are like slaves," Rose summed up.

The Editor shrugged. "Well, now. There's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?"

"Yes," everyone said at once.

The Editor pouted in mock disappointment. "Oh. I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? Yes?"

The Doctor glowered at him. "Yes."

The Editor laughed. "You're no fun."

"Let me out of these manacles, you'll find out how much fun I am," the Doctor said coldly.

"Oh, he's tough, isn't he. But, come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit," the Editor coaxed. "Tell me how great it is."

"You can't hide something on this scale. Somebody must've noticed," Rose protested.

"From time to time, someone, yes," the Editor admitted. "But the computer system allows me to see inside their brain... I can see the smallest doubt, and crush it. Or, if they're someone like Miss San Julienne, who is a bit more independent thinking than the usual worker, I promote them. Set their minds to work up here. Most people aren't like that, though. A little bit of tweaking in their brain, and then they just carry on, living their life. Strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're so individual. When of course, they're not. They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing."

"What about you, though?" Rose said suddenly. "You're not a Jagra... uh... a..."

"Jagrafess," the Doctor supplied, in a different tone. Lyssa glanced down at him. After spending seven months with him, she knew that tone. Something had changed, because now he was trying to be distracting.

"Thank you," Rose smiled. "Jagrafess. You're not a Jagrafess. You're human."

"Yeah, well, simply being human doesn't pay very well," the Editor shrugged.

"But you couldn't have done this all on your own," Rose protested.

"Course not," the Editor scoffed. "I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to um... install himself."

"No wonder, a creature that size," the Doctor agreed. "What's his life span?"

"Three thousand years. Like I said, long-term investment," the Editor smirked, tugging on the lapels of his jacket.

"That's one heck of a metabolism generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs - Jagrafess stays cool, stays alive. Satellite Five's one great big life support system," the Doctor realized, his tone just a bit louder than it normally was.

Lyssa wiped her sweaty forehead off on her shirt sleeve. He was doing this for a reason, she knew that. There had to be someone listening, someone who could do something about it. Adam, maybe? Suki shifted beside her, and another burst of pain erupted in her head, showers of gold exploding in her vision.

"But _that's_ why you're so dangerous," the Editor snapped. "Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown." He chuckled darkly, clicking his fingers together. A sharp tingling as if she was being stabbed with a thousand needles at once flickered through Lyssa's wrists, and she jerked, a stabbing pain flashing through her arms and chest. Then, it was gone, and she was leaning against the crosspiece behind them, trying to breathe through the weight on her chest.

Suki was coughing harshly, gasping for breath, and Rose seemed to be struggling as well, though the Doctor merely held a grimace on his face.

"Leave them alone! I'm the Doctor, she's Rose Tyler, and that's Lyssa. We're nothing, we're just wandering. I don't know where you got your information about Lyssa, but it's wrong, all of it! We're just travelers, that's all!"

"Tell me who you are!" the Editor shouted.

"I just said!" the Doctor yelled back.

"Yeah, but who do you work for? Are you a part of the Freedom Foundation with Miss San Julienne over there? Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly are you?"

"We never met her before today, we're just passing through, I told you!" the Doctor snapped.

The Editor snapped his fingers again, sending that sharp pain through her once again, the others writhing beside her. When it was over, Suki was slumped against the bar between her wrists, a faint burning smell coming from her wrists.

"Wrong answer," the Editor frowned. "I know who she is," he jerked a head at Lyssa. "And wherever she goes, things have a habit of turning up that are better left hidden. This is no accident. I'd be careful how you answer me next time. Your little blonde friend and Miss Eva aren't looking too good."

He stepped closer to Suki, cupping her face and lifting her chin to look at him. "I don't suppose you'd like to tell me who they are, or if you have any more of your little friends around here?"

The pounding in her head almost blinding her vision, Lyssa heard more than saw Suki's response as she cursed the Editor, threatening that everyone would find out what happened, amidst a few more colorful phrases.

The Editor tsked disapprovingly. "We don't approve of such harsh language here, I thought you were aware of that when you signed on. You can do better than that. Let's motivate you with a controlled shock."

He snapped his fingers and Suki screamed, writhing against her manacles before falling limply against the bar, her eyes shut. At the same moment, the pounding in Lyssa's head disappeared and she could think clearly again, the gold completely vanishing from her vision.

The Editor stopped the shocks and checked her wrist for a pulse. "Dead. That's a shame, it was such fun baiting her. If I had to guess, I'd say that the genetic graft might just have weakened her heart. An unfortunate side effect, but I'm sure she was aware of that. All well. She's more useful this way." He jerked his head at two of the drones, and they stepped forward, releasing her limp body from the manacles and hauling her to a chair. "Activate the chip," the Editor commanded, narrowing his eyes at the screen in front of her.

Lyssa watched with horror as Suki's eyelids slowly opened, no signs of life inside. Frost began creeping across her face as she raised her hands to the controls in front of her and began working, unbreathing.

"You killed her!" Lyssa exclaimed, suddenly feeling sicker than she had before. "You just murdered her to add her to your list of slaves!"

"Oh, you noticed that, did you?" the Editor asked in mock surprise. "Good job. You get a sticker. Oh, wait. You never told me who you were. Never mind, I take it back."

"I. Told. You. Who we were," the Doctor bit out, straining against his manacles, Rose worryingly silent beside him. "We had no part of this, we never met her before today, now let us go!"

The Editor pretended to consider it. "Mm, I don't think so. You see, we're back to the whole knowledge is power, and right now, we have an imbalance. The only way that can be resolved is by -" He stopped, tilting his head to the side, then smiled. The Doctor narrowed his eyes at him. "Time Lord," the Editor pronounced slowly, as if each word were a delicious morsel.

"What?" the Doctor stared at him.

The smile slowly crept across his face, growing bigger and bigger. "Oh, yes! The last of the Time Lords in his travelling machine. Oh, with his little human girl from long ago..." He trailed a finger along Rose's cheek. Lyssa kicked at him, but he just skipped back a step and smirked at her. He dropped his hand, though, so she counted it as a temporary win, casting a concerned glance at Rose. She seemed to be conscious, as her eyes were open, but she wasn't interacting at all, and hadn't even responded to the Editor.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" the Doctor told him.

"Time travel," the Editor continued, his eyes distant.

"Someone's been telling you lies," the Doctor said desperately.

The Editor snorted. "With the one person so closely connected to the Siren, yet never once appearing with her tied up next to you? I don't think so. Young master Adam Mitchell appears to be the honest sort. Or, perhaps, he can't lie." He waggled his eyebrows at them. "No, really, he can't lie." He snapped his fingers, and a projection of Adam, complete with hole in his head, appeared in the air. He had the blue stream of compressed information flowing into his head, and was writhing in pain.

"What's he done? What's he gone and done?" the Doctor shouted, pushing against his manacles. "They're reading his mind! He's telling them everything!"

"And through him, I know everything about you. Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor. The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you've seen in your T-A-R-D-I-S. TARDIS." The Editor leaned in close to Lyssa. "And just think what I could get out of you. The girl who knows so much, and yet so little. He's keeping a secret from you, you know. Something big. Something... life-changing."

"You'll never get your hands on any of it!" the Doctor swore defiantly. "I'd die first."

"Would you really leave her here alone?" the Editor regarded him curiously. "I've learned quite a few things about you from Master Adam, and one of the main things he knows is that you are very protective of Miss Devons here. Almost makes me wonder who you really are. I've heard rumors, you know. But if you really want to, you can die all you like. I don't need you. I've got the key."

He waved a hand at the projection, where Rose's key to the TARDIS, still on its string, started levitating from Adam's pocket. "Today, we are the headlines. We can rewrite history. We could prevent mankind from ever developing, and it's all thanks to you, Doctor."

"And no one's gonna stop you," the Doctor stated in disgust. "Because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie. They'll just trot right into the slaughter house if they're told it's made of gold."

The Editor shrugged. "Basically, yes. Why do you think I looked elsewhere for my clients? Humans are so gullible it's disgusting." An alarm clanged, making them all look up. "What's happening?" the Editor demanded as the projection of Adam suddenly froze and disappeared, a blue light flashing on one of the screens. "Someone's disengaged the safety!" he stated in horror.

He clicked his fingers, and a projection of Cathica appeared, once more in a chair in a spike room, compressed information flowing into her head. "Who's that?"

Lyssa grinned fiercely. "It's Cathica."

"And she's thinking. She's using what she knows!" the Doctor said proudly.

The Editor snarled, leaning over Suki's corpse and glaring at the screen in front of them. "Terminate her access."

"Everything I told her about Satellite Five, the pipes, the filters, she's reversing it! Look at that..." the Doctor lifted his manacled hands and waved at some of the icicles on the walls, already dripping water. "It's getting hot."

"I said, terminate!" the Editor said frantically, placing his hands over Suki's. "Burn her mind!"

But it was too late, and the screens exploded in a shower of sparks a moment later, the drones all falling lifelessly to the ground. A sharp sparking sound emitted from their manacles, and Lyssa cried out when her wrists began to tingle once more, the painful sensation of needles returning and quickly traveling up her arms.

She vaguely heard the Doctor talking over the buzz of his sonic screwdriver, then the pop of his manacles opening. "She's venting the heat up here. The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano. That's you, mate!" he shouted up at the blob on the ceiling, which growled and snapped back at him. "Hold on just a tic, Lyssa, I'll get you out!" he promised, aiming at her manacles with the sonic and mercifully releasing her from the painful tingling.

"Mine opened when the power surged," he explained, moving to Rose. "We're going to need to get her to the Infirmary after this. The last surge knocked her out, and frankly, I'm not sure how you're still standing." Her manacles clicked open, and Rose fell limply into the Doctor's arms.

"Oh my gosh," Lyssa gasped, staring in horrified realization at Rose's wrists, which were red and starting to blister. "If she's unconscious - this could affect her heart!" Almost instinctively, her hands flew to Rose's neck, feeling carefully for a pulse. It was still beating strong, but the relief quickly died when she noticed something else.

"Doctor... she's not breathing."

* * *

 **A/N: What a shocking conclusion...**

 **And, I did a little bit of research, and apparently a lot of things can happen when you're electrocuted, and they can all vary. And with Suki/Eva and Rose being completely human, they're just that little bit more vulnerable than the Doctor, or even Lyssa (who is just a tad different from them biologically at this time). Hence why Suki died, and Rose passed out, while the other two didn't.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed (we now have over 300 follows! Thank you all so, so much!), and shout-out to afionna262, Fakira and ZaraSwann for reviewing!**

 _ **afionna262:**_ _ **Lol, they both took turns getting jealous this chapter, and Lyssa might just be confronting her feelings for the Doctor very soon. Thank you so much for being understanding about the shorter chapters. I really hate that I have to do this, but I'm hoping that I can go back to longer ones soon enough, and then I may just edit them back together into my usual two-parts, because heaven knows they need the editing. :P**_ _ **Thanks! Hopefully you were able to enjoy me finally (starting to) wrap up this episode even though you don't like it. I swear, this episode really is the long game - it's taken me like a month to write. :P On the bright side, we're finally starting to get a move on so she can start confronting her feelings - or, perhaps, having someone do it for her. ;D Thank you very much for your well wishes, they are very much appreciated, and things are already starting to get a little bit better. :) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **Fakira: Thanks! I hope I can go back to my longer chapters soon, but it's good to know that it doesn't bother you that much. And no worries about your bad memory. I haven't mentioned the names the Editor called Lyssa before, we'll be coming across most of them in the future. I am really glad you liked it, though. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D**_ __

 _ **ZaraSwann:**_ **_(¬‿¬) ;D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 ** **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.****


	51. Chapter 51 - The Long Game, Part 3

A small explosion went off nearby and sent an icicle crashing to the ground near them, showering them with ice shards. The Doctor covered Rose's unconscious body as best as he could, then straightened, lifting her fully into his arms.

"We can't do anything here, this whole floor's about to go up! We need to grab Cathica and get out of here!" he shouted. "Get to the elevator!"

"Not without Cathica!" Lyssa shouted back, shrieking as a large blob that she was unfortunately able to identify as Jagrafess flesh fell by her foot. "You get Rose, I'll get Cathica!" Not waiting for an answer, she took off towards the elevator, praying that Cathica would be nearby, ducking falling snow and icicles as she went. "Cathica! Cathica! Where are - There!" She shouted in triumph as she spotted a beam of light coming from an open door on the left.

Inside was an abandoned spike room, the corpses of several frozen bodies laying where they had fallen on the floor. Cathica lay on the chair in the center with her eyes closed, information still streaming into her brain. Lyssa tried to snap her fingers several times before succeeding, the door in Cathica's head closing and the stream stopping. Cathica opened her eyes slowly, sitting up in confusion before her eyes met Lyssa's.

"No time to talk now. We've got to get out of here!" Lyssa said hurriedly, extending her hand to help her up. She pulled the older woman to her feet and yanked her out of the room, both of them falling to the floor as a huge explosion rocked the area.

"Lyssa! Cathica! Over here!" The Doctor's shouts drew their attention, where he was standing in the middle of the elevator holding the door open with his foot. Rose still hung limply in his arms, her face pale and still.

"Come on!" Lyssa hauled the other woman to her feet and into the elevator.

"Wait! What about Suki?" Cathica protested, bracing herself against the wall as the Doctor let the doors shut, and used his sonic to send the elevator dropping back down through the levels.

"She's dead, we can't help her now; I'm sorry," the Doctor said briefly, lowering Rose to the ground and checking her pulse once more. "I've got to focus on Rose. She's still not breathing."

Tilting her head back, he pinched her nose shut and lowered his mouth to hers, exhaling for two seconds before sitting back on his heels. He waited another six seconds before continuing to breathe for Rose.

Lyssa sank to her knees beside him, taking Rose's hand in hers and praying for her to start breathing again. Silently cursing herself for never learning CPR, she unconsciously held her own breath each time the Doctor sat back, only breathing herself when she saw Rose's chest rise.

"Oh my gosh!" Cathica cried, finally noticing that Rose wasn't breathing. "What's wrong with her? And what about the man back there, and that, that thing on the ceiling? And Suki's dead? Did they kill her? Are they going to come after us, too?"

"The Editor shocked us while we were in the manacles," Lyssa answered briefly, eyes fixed on Rose's chest. It rose briefly every time the Doctor breathed for her, then sank back down again. "He killed Suki, and hurt Rose, but the Editor is dead now. Died in the explosion. But Rose got hurt from the shocks. She still has a pulse, but she's not breathing."

"We've got breathing!" the Doctor shouted triumphantly, sitting back as Rose's body jerked, coughing before falling back down to the floor, still unconscious, but breathing. The Doctor pulled out his sonic and quickly scanned her, noting the uneven rise and fall of her chest.

"She's breathing adequately for now, but we need to get her back to the TARDIS. She needs treatment I can't give her here, and," his face darkened, "we need to take Mr. 'genius' Mitchell back home."

"Your friend?" Cathica asked, wrinkling her brow. "He doesn't seem very smart."

"He's not my friend, and he's not smart either," the Doctor snapped. "He's an idiot who could have killed people for greed. Sound familiar?"

"Then why'd you bring him with you?" she frowned.

The Doctor sighed, looking down at Rose. "Because I was giving him a chance. And he wasted it." The elevator dinged as the door slid open on Floor 139, and he gathered up Rose into his arms again, followed by Lyssa and Cathica. "You'll have to manage things on your own from now on, Cathica," he informed her.

"What?" she cried. "You have to stay! We have medical on Floor 16 for your friend, and that aside, no one's going to believe me anyways!"

"Oh, they might start believing a lot of things now," the Doctor assured her, heading back through the gate to the TARDIS. "The human race should accelerate. All back to normal." He caught sight of Adam loitering by the TARDIS, Rose's phone in hand, and his expression darkened once more. "You'll be fine, Cathica. You've started to think for yourself. Just keep doing that, and encouraging others to do the same. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take out the trash."

Lyssa offered Cathica a brief smile goodbye that didn't reach her eyes, then took off after the Doctor as he strode towards Adam. He practically radiated menace, and she could see Adam start to sweat as soon as he caught sight of them.

"You're not going to tell me to stop, are you?" the Doctor asked quietly, shifting his hold on Rose so that she lay more comfortably against him.

Lyssa tried to crack her knuckles menacingly, but forgot that they were already bruised from punching Van Statten earlier, and winced, rubbing them to try and soothe the pain. Regardless, her voice was steady as she glared at Adam. "You might have to be the one to hold me back."

Adam's eyes shifted to Rose as they stalked up to him, then back up to the Doctor as he stammered nervously. "I'm all right now. Much better. I've got the key." He held up the TARDIS key, sweat trailing down his face. "Well it's, I know..." He laughed nervously. "Well, it all worked out for the best, didn't it?" He cringed at the look on the Doctor's face.

"Lyssa?" His voice was calm. Very calm. "Please remove the key from Adam, before I remove Adam from the key."

Lyssa snatched the key from Adam's hand and used it to unlock the TARDIS.

"You know, it's not actually my fault, because you were in charge," Adam continued weakly.

The Doctor gave him a black look. "Move," he snarled in a low voice.

Adam moved.

The Doctor followed him into the TARDIS and kicked the door shut with his foot. "Lyssa, take the phone from him and put it in the jack by the time rotor, then pull the red lever below it. It'll take us to the last place called on the phone. I'm going to put Rose in the Infirmary." With one last, angry look at Adam, he disappeared into the hallways of the TARDIS.

Lyssa marched up to Adam, still hovering nervously by the doors, and held her hand out impatiently. "Phone."

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I don't... what are you talking about?"

She curled her fingers into a fist, smirking when his eyes fixed on that. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The hard way may or may not involve you get shoved out an airlock, but either way, you will give me that phone. I know you have Rose's phone. Now give it." She scoffed when he dug into his pocket and handed it to her, still not meeting her eyes.

She didn't bother warning him to hold on as she found the jack and inserted it, then pulled the red lever. The TARDIS began to dematerialize and shook a whole lot more than usual as she flew through the Time Vortex, although it seemed to be centered around the area where Adam was standing - or used to be standing.

And she couldn't help but notice that all the railings by the door had conveniently disappeared. She smirked. It seemed that the TARDIS disliked Adam as much as she did.

The Doctor came back into the console room once they had landed, and quietly assured her that Rose was fine, and sleeping peacefully in the Infirmary. He smirked briefly at the sight of Adam picking himself up off the floor, then stepped forward and placed his hand on Adam's shoulder, shoving him out the door, followed by Lyssa.

They were in the living room of a small house, with the TARDIS back up against the wall and a couch by the other end next to an older-style telephone on a table. Adam spun around, letting out a hysterical laugh. "It's my house! I'm home! Oh my gosh, I'm home!" Lyssa crossed her arms and leaned against the TARDIS, glaring at him along with the Doctor. "Blimey, I thought you were going to chuck me out of an airlock or something," Adam exclaimed.

"Don't get my hopes up," Lyssa muttered. "It's still on the table."

The Doctor nudged her with his elbow, but stayed focused on Adam. "Is there something else you want to tell me?"

The self-proclaimed genius shifted uncomfortably. "Um... no. What do you mean?"

The Doctor walked calmly over to the telephone and picked it up, visibly restraining himself. "The archive of Satellite Five. One second of that message could've changed the world."

If there was a picture of guilty in the dictionary, Lyssa rather thought that Adam would have been it, the way he flushed red and averted his eyes. The Doctor replaced the phone and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, raising an eyebrow at Adam in challenge when he tried to protest. Adam subsided, and settled for scowling in a meek show of defiance as the Doctor blew up his telephone with a simple press of the button.

"That's it then, see ya," the Doctor remarked casually, striding back to the TARDIS.

"How do you mean, 'see ya'?" Adam asked nervously, following him and stopping about a foot away.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at him. "You're the 'genius', aren't you? As in, goodbye."

"But... what about me?" Adam protested. "You can't just go, I've got my head, I've got a chip type two, my head opens."

"What, like this?" the Doctor asked, clicking his fingers and smirking as the door in Adam's head opened.

"Don't!" Adam said angrily, closing it again.

"Don't what?" the Doctor asked innocently. "I'm just snapping my fingers. It's a free country, isn't it?" He snapped his fingers again.

"Stop it!" Adam snapped, closing his head again.

The Doctor's smirk suddenly dropped from his face, and he leaned forward into Adam's space menacingly, making Adam draw back. "Stop what? Reminding you of what a selfish idiot you were? The whole of history could've changed because of you!"

"I just wanted to help," Adam protested weakly.

The Doctor scoffed angrily. "You were helping yourself! And you nearly got yourself and hundreds of others killed doing it! If they'd gotten their hands on the TARDIS, all life could've been wiped out thanks to your stupidity!"

"And, I'm sorry. I've said I'm sorry, and I am, I really am, but you can't just leave me like this," Adam tried again, nearly begging.

The Doctor curled his lip at him. "Yes I can. 'Cause if you show your head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to live a very quiet life. Keep out of trouble. Be average. Unseen. Good luck."

He had just put his hand on the door when Adam spoke up again, unwilling to give up just yet. "But I wanna come with you!"

"I only take the best," the Doctor scorned him. "I've got Lyssa and Rose. They're my closest friends right now, and you know what?" He lowered his voice and leaned towards Adam again. "Rose was barely breathing when we came up, and all you could think about was yourself. You never even spared her a glance. The universe has enough self-centered people in it. I'm not spreading it around."

"I had two rules for you, Adam," Lyssa snapped when he glanced her way, as if he was really going to try and get her on his side. "Don't try and change history, and don't do anything stupid, especially something like putting a hole in your head. What did you do? You tried to change history, and in the process, put a hole in your head!"

Adam stared at her in sudden realization. "You knew, didn't you?" he accused. "The phrasing is too similar to be a coincidence. You knew exactly what was going to happen, and you did nothing! You let all that happen! This is all your fault! It's all your fault Rose is in there, unconscious!"

He swung a hand wildly at the TARDIS, and she groaned once in warning. "I knew nothing about the rules of time travel, but you're experienced! You knew better, and you knew what was going to happen! This is all your fault!"

Lyssa shrank back from his accusations, guilt and fear that he was right suddenly warring with her righteous anger. Adam, sensing that he was gaining ground, stood a little bit taller. "You stand there all high and mighty, judging me, when you knew that I was going to do it, when you knew that Rose was going to get hurt, and you did nothing! You're just as guilty as I am!"

Lyssa had no answer for him, couldn't even speak. Was it all her fault? She had known about Adam, and the Editor, and she could have done more to stop them. And Suki - Adam didn't even know about Suki, but she had died too, and Lyssa hadn't saved her. If she had been alone, she might have cried, overwhelmed by the sudden surge of emotions.

But she wasn't alone, and the Doctor stepped forward to remind her - and Adam - of that.

"You're even stupider than I thought if you believe that," he spat, seeming to gain height as he towered over Adam. "One of the first rules of time travel is that we can't spoil future events for people in the past. Even an idiot like you ought to know that. Lyssa may have known that putting a hole in your head was a practice they did there, but she couldn't outright tell you what was going to happen, considering you were the one stupid enough to do it, even after she warned you about it."

He pushed open the door of the TARDIS and gestured for Lyssa to step inside. She did, waiting by the doorway for him, her face torn. "You were the one who chose to come with us, you were the one who chose to try and profit by changing history, and you were the one who chose to put a door in your head. Do you know what the common denominator is there? You chose to do something, and now you're facing the consequences. Don't you dare try and pin that off on anyone else. That was all you. And this, is goodbye. See you never," he called, strolling into the TARDIS and ignoring Adam's sputtered protests. "Do you have anything you want to add?" He asked Lyssa.

She considered, then nodded. Placing a hand on the doorway, she leaned outside the TARDIS briefly, catching Adam's attention. "Hey, Adam?" She waited until he was looking at her, then smiled coldly, covering up the turmoil she was experiencing inside. "Next time someone more experienced than you tells you not to do something, don't do it. Good luck explaining this to your mom. I think she'll be pulling in soon." Snapping her fingers at him, she grinned at his outraged expression and shut the TARDIS door behind her, blocking him out. "We can leave now."

"Good," the Doctor declared, sending them into the Time Vortex with a flourish. "I couldn't stand that man. I only brought him along because Rose wanted him. Don't know why," he grumbled. "The man's an idiot. And selfish. He didn't once ask after Rose, or you, or anyone else."

"Speaking of Rose," Lyssa mentioned hesitantly. "How is she? Is she... all right?"

The Doctor's face softened, and he held out his hand for her to take. She took it gratefully, smiling up at him shyly as he led the way out of the console room. The TARDIS had moved the Infirmary to just outside, so it was only a minute before they were in the room, where two beds were set up. Rose lay on one under a thin sheet, a transparent gold film covering the bed. A monitor hung above her bed, with her vitals displayed on it, and an IV stand stood nearby, ready, but not yet attached to her arm.

"The film you see above her is more like a field," the Doctor explained, putting on sanitary gloves and threading a needle into her arm under the gold field, then placing an IV line into it. He hung a bag on the IV and turned it on, flicking the line a few times to get it started. "Keeps the bad things out, and the good things in, so to speak. She also needs a bit more oxygen than room air would give her at this time, so there's a higher concentration in there, blowing in her face to help her breathe it in."

"Will she be all right?" Lyssa asked again, peering down at her friend. The steady rise and fall of her chest reassured her, even though she would have preferred to see her sit up and open her eyes.

The Doctor hummed noncommitally. "Her heartbeat's strong and steady, and her breathing has regularized. I'm about to use a dermal regenerator on her wrists, which should take care of any burns there, and the IV's just to help replenish her system after the literal and metaphorical shocks it's taken." He disposed of the gloves in a bin, and rummaged in a drawer until he pulled out the same device he had used on Lyssa when her throat had been bruised by the Slitheen back in London.

Flicking the switch, he carefully picked up Rose's arm above her burned wrist and ran it lightly over the skin. Lyssa watched in slight amazement as the skin began to lighten, and the burns began to fade, until her wrist was the same color as the rest of her skin. The Doctor repeated the process on her other wrist, then motioned for Lyssa to take a seat on the other bed.

"What? I'm fine," Lyssa protested. "Rose is the one who's unconscious!"

"But she's been treated as much as I can at this time. I've set a few tests running, and I've got my eye on a few things, but she wasn't the only one shocked. I want to make sure you're all right, too," the Doctor informed her.

Lyssa shook her head, looking down at Rose guiltily. "I'm fine. Suki and Rose were the ones who got hurt." _Because of me_ , she finished in her mind. She didn't need to be treated, when Rose was the one who had gotten hurt.

The Doctor seemed to have heard the rest of her sentence though, and frowned at her. "Them being hurt doesn't negate the possibility that you could've been harmed, too," he reminded her, then softened his tone. "Please. I just want to make sure you're all right."

Lyssa made the mistake of looking over at him, and made contact with his pleading blue eyes. She couldn't really resist after that, and in short order she was perched on the other bed while the Doctor ran a scanner over her. He eventually announced that after some rest she would be fine, but used the dermal regenerator to heal her bruised knuckles - although she still caught him smirking as he ran the machine over them.

"What about you?" she grumbled, crossing her arms once he was done. She may have given in and let him scan her - again - but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. "You were shocked right along with us." Her eyes widened. "And that was after whatever it was that Van Statten did to you. You could be worse off than me!"

"Not human, remember?" the Doctor scolded her mildly, tapping her on the forehead. "The shocks were mildly unpleasant, but did no lasting damage. And Van Statten's machine was just a scanner. I'll admit it hurt, but it shouldn't have done any damage either. Was more like an X-ray from the inside. But I'm more worried about you. You're still mostly human, which meant you have a much higher chance of getting hurt from it."

"And I'm more worried about you!" Lyssa retorted, raising her head and meeting his worried gaze with her own. "You don't know what all that scanner did to you, just that it hurt, which meant that there was damage being done!" She lost her spirit and dropped her gaze. "That was my fault, too. I knew it was going to happen, and I didn't do anything. Adam was right. This was all my fault."

She felt more than saw the Doctor step away from her, and hung her head, her heart hurting to think that he must have realized just what she had done, and was stepping away before she could hurt him like she had the others.

And then she was swept up into a tight hug, her head buried in a jumper that smelled like safety, and she unconsciously clung to him tighter.

"Oh, Lyssa. Is that what you were thinking this whole time? That this was all your fault?" he asked sympathetically. "That you were to blame for the actions of selfish, greedy men?"

She stiffened in his arms, then nodded shamefully. "How could it be anything else?" she whispered, tears filling her eyes as she finally let them fall. "Adam saw it, I just didn't want to recognize it. I knew the Dalek would be there in Utah, and I knew that Adam would get a hole in his head, and I knew that Suki was going to die, and I knew that you and Rose were gonna get shocked, and I didn't do anything to stop that! This is all my fault! It's all my fault that Rose is lying there unconscious, and it's all my fault that you got hurt, and you should just leave me alone before I get you hurt worse!"

The Doctor pushed her away from his chest, and she closed her eyes, unwilling to see him walk away from her. Then she felt his hands on her cheeks, and her eyes flew open. His thumbs stroked her cheeks, wiping away the tear stains even as fresh ones fell.

"If you think I'm going to leave you alone just because of some misplaced guilt, you've got a lot to learn about me," he informed her quietly. "You wouldn't leave me alone when I was hurtin', and I'm not about to leave you. You might not believe me when I tell you it's not your fault, but that's all right. I've got all the time in the world to convince you."

"Why?" she whispered, swiping at her nose. "Why does it matter so much to you that I don't blame myself for this? Is this to make up for me helping you back before you found Rose?" For some reason, the thought of that - of him just putting up with her as some way of paying back a debt to her - made her heart twist unpleasantly.

But the Doctor just smiled at her and tapped her on the nose. "Because, fairy-girl. We look out for each other, yes, but it's more than that. You may not have realized it yet, but you're the most important person to me in the world." He smirked. "More than that. In all the worlds."

* * *

 **A/N: Things are finally starting to look up, which hopefully means longer chapters again! (I can't make any promises yet, but I'm hoping!)**

 **And the Doctor is not putting up with any of her Adam-induced guilt (hypocritical much?), which is always a good thing. :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to afionna262, abbynormal315, Fakira, and Snafflefang for reviewing! Your support has honestly been one of the biggest motivators in helping me to continue writing this story this summer, when it seemed like everything was going insane. :D**

 ** _afionna262: Right? This episode has been insanely long for me, but - we have finally finished it! (Unless Adam makes another appearance at a later date... ;D) Lyssa's not quite ready to admit her feelings for the Doctor quite yet - be ready for some "friend-zoning" - but she's also starting to make the uncomfortable realization of just how big a part of her life he is.(and his words at the end of the chapter aren't helping the butterflies in her stomach go away either) And thank you for your encouraging words! They really have helped so much, and honestly, there were so many times during this summer that reviews like yours were the reason I kept writing. And we finally got a longer chapter! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 ** _abbynormal315: Hello! You have come amazingly close to the truth - how close, and which one I won't say here just yet- but I can PM you and tell you which one is (most) accurate, and let you choose a sneak peek, if you would like. Great guess. :D (if you prefer not to PM, just comment which sneak peek you would like, and we can work something out from there. Among the options are: the end of this first book, Day of the Doctor, and one of the penultimate plot points. Or you could suggest another thing you'd prefer to see instead, whether as a sneak peek, or in a future chapter. I'm flexible. :D)_**

 ** _Fakira: I'd say it's a mix. Most of this story is coming from the episode, but I'm changing a lot of things around too. No worries. The Doctor himself just hinted pretty heavily at how much he cared for her this chapter, too. :D And Rose is here! (mostly) all right, too! And here's too hoping your knight in shining armor arrives to help you before school starts again! Thank you for your encouraging words, they seriously mean a lot to me. Hope you have an awesome week, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Snafflefang: (Can I just say that for some reason, I really like your username? I feel like I recognize it from somewhere, but I don't know where.) Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I'm always thrilled each time I get a message from a new (or old) reader telling me how much they liked my story. It's made me so happy to hear that. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	52. Chapter 52 - Hall of Secrets

The first thing she realized was that she didn't know where she was.

The second thing she realized was that she didn't know how she got there either.

When she looked around, she was in a long hallway full of elaborately carved wooden doors. Some were open, some were closed, and a few were covered with all sorts of locks and chains, clearly meant to remain unopened. The entire hallway was a light cream color with tan trim, and a gold and white carpet adorned the wood floor.

The hallway was dim, with no light source around that she could see. To her left, it quickly faded to near pitch black, lit by only a faintly glowing pale blue stream intertwined with gold that ran along the ceiling. A faint gold radiated around her, but didn't travel far into the distance before it disappeared into the dark. Shivering at the sudden cold running down her spine, she stretched out a hand to touch the wall closest to her. It was warm to the touch, strangely familiar to her in some unrecognizable way.

But she still didn't know where she was, and despite the inky blackness around her, she somehow knew that wherever she was was huge. It could easily stretch out for miles, if it were laid out in such a way that it were possible. And yet she somehow knew that... it wasn't. She spun around, straining to see in the darkness, but only succeeded in hurting her eyes. She was lost, in a big empty hallway, and she was alone.

A sliver of fear wormed its way into her mind, sending more cold shivers down her spine -

And was immediately wiped away as a soothing warmth washed over her, as comforting as a hug, and somehow making her think of the Doctor. She closed her eyes involuntarily, but then snapped them open again at the memory of the Doctor. If she was trapped in this place, maybe he was too.

Wasn't that an episode later on with the Twelfth Doctor? Trapped alone in an unknown maze of rooms with a creature hunting him down, while he sought desperately for a way to stop it...

She was distracted when, as she watched, the blue light traveled down the wall to one of the doors in front of her and began to change it, blending it into the surrounding walls until it didn't even seem to exist anymore.

Staring at it in disbelief, she trailed a finger along the wood, flinching backwards when she felt the frame of a door she could no longer see. Her hand falling to the side, it brushed up against a new metal chain covering the door. Whatever was behind that door, she was not meant to see it.

Her heart increased its pace in her chest as she cast a fearful glance to the darkness to her left, and felt a warning tug on something inside her. Instinctively, she knew that if she went that way, she would get lost in the inky blackness. And there was a very good chance that she might not be found again.

Shaking her head and clutching her hand to her throat in search of her charm necklace, she stumbled backwards in fear, now feeling very worried and alone, and afraid to even speak a word and break the heavy silence. As if sensing her fear, the light around her began to dim, darkening the hallway even more.

But just as she was about to break down and take off running down the faintly lit hallway to her right in search of someone, anyone; fear crushing her lungs and making it hard to breathe, the warmth returned.

It wrapped itself around her, giving her the distinct impression of a hug, before soothing away all the chills and fears. Somehow, wrapped up in this warmth, she was assured that everything was going to be all right, that she was loved, and wouldn't be going through this alone, in a very familiar voice.

She gasped, and her eyes flashed open to see that the blue light was wrapped around her. She started to lift a hand, only to realize that the gold glow around her had increased, and was, in fact, coming from her; radiating from her body into the hallway. She _was_ the light in this dark place, and the blue was the Doctor. The lines weren't mixed together on the wall as she had thought earlier; they were separate, but together; and were brighter the closer they were.

And if that wasn't a hint, she didn't know what was. For some reason, she felt a touch of annoyance at the thought, but it was quickly dispelled at the reminder that she still didn't know where she was. She felt comforted, though, knowing that he was there with her. Wherever they were, they could get out of this together.

And speaking of together, she felt a strange tugging sensation on her glowing hand, and saw the blue light wrapped around it, pulling her forward. By far from the strangest thing she had seen, she willingly followed it down the hallway to her right, smiling when the walls became brighter and brighter around her. The further down they went, the more the tugging sensation increased, until they almost started to sound like words in a soft Scottish burr, encouraging her to go further.

" _Come on, fairy-girl. You can do it. Come back to me, I know you can. Just follow my voice. That's it. You're almost there, just a little bit further. You just got a little bit lost, that's all. Just follow me, you're all right. You can do it. Just open your eyes now, you're all right._ "

A shock suddenly coursed through her system as though ice water had been dumped on her head, and the hallway disappeared, leaving her feeling as though she were floating instead. The blue line released her, slowly pulling away from her while still gently tugging her forwards. She let go reluctantly, but knew she needed to if she was ever going to reach her destination. She was speeding towards something, and she had to do this part on her own.

She opened her eyes.

And immediately reared back, the Twelfth Doctor's hands falling from her face as he dropped them with a relieved sigh.

"Thank goodness, I almost thought I'd lost you for a minute there. You did something... I've never seen anyone do that before, even you." Without waiting for a response, he swept her up into a hug.

The hug felt nice, it really did, but she was feeling really confused right now, so she gently pushed him away, narrowing her eyes at him in confusion.

"Doctor? What's going on?" She heard some mumbling from what she now realized was a group of people at a table behind him, but stayed focused on him.

He sighed, looking down at a small remote in his hand. "I can't tell you yet, I'm sorry. I can only show you this." He clicked a button, and a female voice started talking quietly from a set of speakers on the table behind him. Her eyes widened when she heard the voice, easily recognizing it.

" _My name is Lyssa Devons, human-ish. And I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will_."

* * *

 **A/N: (I know, I know, this is super short. Please believe me when I say that I really wanted to make this a longer chapter, but it just didn't work out.) Part of my house - namely the two rooms right outside my bedroom - are being reconstructed right now, which means access to my room is pretty tricky right now. :P (I have to watch out for cords and large holes in the floor when I walk, now, and wearing shoes is advisable most of the time). In this case, it also meant I wasn't really able to enter my room - where my laptop is - for a large portion of today. (Literally, I was told that if I wanted to go in, I would need to use the window. I decided I could wait.) And that is part of the reason that this update is a teaser for the next episode. (the other part is that I don't want to stay up too late working on this on very little sleep when I have to get up early for church tomorrow, and do a really rushed job).**

 **I know this seems like a really weird chapter, with no connection to the ending of the last one, but it'll all make sense soon. Hopefully. ;D**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to afionna262 and guests 1 and 2 for reviewing! (or they might be the same person, if they are I apologize for responding twice)**

 ** _afionna262: Hehe... *Shuffles awkwardly* speaking of seeing Adam again soon... No, you know what? If we see him again, go ahead and launch him at the sun. It'll be fine. He deserves it. And lots of fluff coming up! (Particularly centered around one tidbit of information revealed in this chapter that may or may not cause some panic attacks for Lyssa, but she will be taking her sweet time). Yep! Your reviews are always great to see, and have been especially encouraging over this trying summer, so thanks. :D Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Guest (1): Thanks. It did - in it's own sweet time. *eye roll* :P_**

 ** _Guest (2): Haha, thanks! I'm glad you liked it!_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	53. Chapter 53 - Time Heist, Part 1

"Wait, what?" she squawked, taking a startled step back. "Memory wipe? What? Doctor?"

He shook his head. "I can't tell you yet, I'm sorry. It's too soon. Do you trust me?" His tone was light, but his eyes searched hers earnestly.

She flushed under his steady gaze, remembering how she had imagined him telling her she was loved back in wherever she was, but returned it honestly. "Yes. With my life." She paused before amending, "Maybe not your driving, but I trust you."

He scoffed, tapping her on the forehead. "And they call me rude."

"That's because you are, old man," a British voice called out jovially. A head popped up from behind the Doctor's shoulder, revealing a familiar face with a brown pork pie hat atop his head. "Now that you actually remember me, hullo, Lyssa!"

She squinted at him, trying to place him. Her head started to spin and she blinked rapidly, rubbing her temple. "Sorry. I can't quite... I know I know you," she apologized, "But I can't quite remember you right now."

The Doctor gently pushed her hands away, stepping in front of her and studying her face, his hands on her temples and rubbing gently. "Looks like it's just a side effect from the memory wipe. Things got a bit stirred up in there, blurring a few of the memories. Should be gone soon. Your memories'll settle. Oh!"

He patted his pockets and and pulled out a folded slip of paper, handing it to her. "Take this. Don't look at it!" he added hastily when she started to open it. "You can't look at it! You'll have to show me when this is all over."

"When what's all over?" she objected unhappily. "Doctor, what's going on?"

He slid his hands down to her shoulders, resting them there, and waited until she met his eyes to continue. "Lyssa, this is important. In a few moments, I and everyone else at that table over there are going to lose our memories of the last hour. We're going to be as confused as you, all right? But we're all doing this willingly, for a very good reason. This paper is the key to unlocking your memories when it's all over. Show it to me, and I'll be able to bring them back. You'll understand the need for secrecy shortly. And for your own sake, don't try and look ahead. It will only bring you harm."

She nodded reluctantly, following him and the man behind him to the table where three other people sat, although she was happy to recognize Clara, in a tailored suit, among them. One of the others was a young man with part of his head shaved, and cybernetic implants placed above his right ear. The other was a young, dark-skinned woman, only the skin of her face showing beneath her headscarf. They both nodded at her in acknowledgement as she sat down next to them.

"Are we all ready?" the Doctor asked the group, taking his own seat. There was mumbled reluctant agreement, then they all placed their hands on a lump on the table she now saw to be vaguely worm-shaped next to a metal briefcase. The next instant, they all cried out in shock and flung them away from themselves, although the dark-skinned woman's cheeks briefly puffed out in imitation of the worms. Lyssa couldn't stop a startled cry along with the woman as she released it.

"Doctor?" Clara asked, sounding as confused as she felt.

"Don't touch it," the Doctor ordered, scanning the room.

"Where are we? How did we get here, though?" Clara insisted, inching back from the still moving worm.

"Who are you? Sorry, what's going on? I don't understand," the young man with the implants complained, taking his hand off the worm with disgust.

"Ugh! What is that thing?" the dark-skinned woman cried, her face going back to normal as soon as she stopped touching it.

"It's a memory worm," the Doctor answered absent-mindedly. "Deletes your memories. Ranger?" He frowned at the sight of the man she vaguely recognized, then caught sight of her. "Lyssa? When did you get here?"

"More to the point, how did I get here?" the woman complained, wiping her hands off on her clothes. "Last I remember I was answering the phone."

"The same way we all did, but we've forgotten," the Doctor explained.

"Oh, is this like an Escape Room, only with chances of death?" the young man - Ranger - asked excitedly. "Because I've never gotten to do one of those before."

"I have," Lyssa said. Her voice was quiet, but it was enough to make the Doctor and Ranger turn to her in concern.

"What happened?" Clara asked.

She snorted bitterly, memories of that awful night all too easily coming to mind. "People died."

"Sorry, but - who are you again?" the young woman across from her asked. "And how did we get here? And what's that?" She pointed to the case on the table in front of her.

There was a click, and then the Doctor's voice was speaking. " _I am the Doctor, a Time Lord from Gallifrey. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will_."

A click, then her own voice again. " _My name is Lyssa Devons, human-ish. And I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will_."

A click. " _I am Clara Oswald. Er... human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will. Do I really have to touch that worm thing_?"

" _Yes, you do. And change your shoes. They're useless for running in_ ," the Doctor's voice scolded her mildly. " _Jamie, you're next_."

A click. " _I am the Ranger, and I don't know what I am_." A grin entered his voice. " _My mummy tells me I'm special_." There was a smacking sound and some muffled laughter before he continued. " _Fine! I'm... I still don't know what I am, actually. Moving on, I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will._ "

" _Good. Psi_?" the Doctor's voice continued, while they all listened with varying degrees of confusion.

Another click. " _I am Psi- augmented human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will_." The young man - Psi - pulled a chip out from a slot on his head and stared at it. Sitting next to him, Lyssa couldn't miss the big 'Memory Corrupted' displayed on the screen at the top.

There was one last click, and then a woman's voice. " _I am Saibra, mutant human. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will_."

Silence descended as everyone tried to take in what that meant, then was broken by a hiss as the metal briefcase on the table in between them slowly opened to reveal two screens, back -to-back so everyone could see. A golden K in a circle was displayed on the screen, then a hooded figure, hidden in the shadows. An electronically manipulated voice with a slight American accent began to speak.

" _This is a recorded message. I am the Architect. Your last memory is of receiving a contact from an unknown agency. Me. Everything since has been erased from your minds. Now, pay close attention to this briefing_."

Lyssa frowned, having no memories of that whatsoever, but then again the Doctor had mentioned that her memories would be mixed up for a bit due to the memory wipe -whenever that had happened.

The screen zoomed in on a large, luxurious building sitting alone on a planet, looking like almost like an advertisement for the place. " _This is the Bank of Karabraxos, the most secure bank in the galaxy. A fortress for the super-rich. If you can afford your own star system, this is where you keep it. No one sets foot on the planet without protocols. All movement is monitored, all air consumption regulated. DNA is authenticated at every stage. Intruders will be incinerated._ "

A woman appeared on screen, breathing into a tube. The mist turned red, and nozzles came out of the wall and incinerated her and her companion in a burst of flame. Then the image switched to show a couple placing a painting in a drawer.

" _Each vault, buried deep in the earth, is accessed by a drop-slot at the planet's surface. It's atomically sealed, an unbreakable lock. The atoms have all been scrambled. Your presence on this planet is unauthorized. A team will have been dispatched to terminate you_."

Someone started pounding on the door, and they all jumped. "This is bank security! Open up!" a voice demanded through a grill.

" _Your survival depends on following my instructions,_ " the Architect continued.

"Open this door, and you will be humanely disposed of," the guard shouted. They all got up from their chairs, placing the table between themselves and the door.

"There's another exit!" Saibra announced excitedly, pointing at the back wall, where the faint outline of a door could be seen.

" _All the information you need is in this case,_ " the Architect informed them.

Psi took a chip from his head and plugged it in.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor frowned, ushering Lyssa and Clara behind him as the pounding on the door began to get louder.

"Downloading."

"Ah. Augmented human. Nice," the Doctor complimented.

" _The Bank of Karabraxos is impregnable_."

The Doctor took something shaped like a cell phone from the case.

"Please stand away from the door. We do not wish to hurt you before incineration!" the guard called again. The door began to creak.

"Yeah, somehow, I feel like the incineration might just hurt worse," the Ranger cracked. "Let's move, people!" He shoved his hat back, dark brown hair flying up as he did so.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic and began scanning the door, concentrating his efforts on a small area. Behind them, the door continued to creak, and the Architect continued with a last, chilling sentence as they managed to pry open the door. The Doctor ushered them all inside the narrow white hallway, then pulled the door almost shut, listening carefully.

" _The Bank of Karabraxos has never been breached. You will rob the Bank of Karabraxos_."

Glass shattered, and he pulled the door shut quietly. "Let's go. They're in the room, but they might not notice we're here. And, with a bit of luck, maybe they'll notice the worms and get curious." He turned around and saw Lyssa standing there, raising an eyebrow at him. Everyone else was already running down the corridor. He huffed. "Rude."

Lyssa just shook her head and took off after them, quickly followed by the Doctor. They rounded a corner and caught up to the others, stopped in a small alcove by a door that led to the lobby of the bank, where hundreds of people were walking about.

"Okay, okay, okay. Far enough,," the Doctor announced, turning to Psi. "Augmented human. Computer augmented, yes? Mainframe in your head?"

"I'm a gamer," the man said, eyeing him. "Sorry, who put you in charge?"

"He's a natural at it," Clara snarked, rubbing at a stitch in her side.

"You're a liar. That's a prison code on your neck," the Doctor challenged, ignoring her.

Psi hesitated, then gave in. "I'm a hacker slash bank robber."

The Doctor nodded, pleased. "Good. This is a good day to be a bank robber." He turned to Saibra. "Mutant human. What kind of mutant?"

She frowned at him skeptically, shifting from one foot to the other. "Like he said, why are you in charge now?"

He flapped a hand at her, sighing as if she were boring him. "It's my super power. What's yours?"

Saibra frowned, but reached out and took Clara's hand. A second later, there were two Claras standing in front of them, looking indistinguishable from the other. Then, she let go, and returned to her original form. "I touch living cells, I can replicate the owner."

"Your face, when we first saw you..." Clara mentioned carefully.

Saibra wrinkled her nose. "I touched the worm. Not really an experience I care to repeat."

"You can replicate their clothes, too?" Clara asked.

Saibra nodded. "I wear a hologram shell."

The Ranger whistled, looking suitably impressed. "Very nice. Why do I have the feeling that we've all been chosen for our specific skills, and they will all be used at one point or another?"

"Because you're the type of person who suspects everything?" Clara asked rhetorically, poking him in the side. "And what would I be chosen for, then, huh?"

He batted at her hand, looking wounded. "Your ability to handle me and the Doctor without going insane. I'd say that's pretty impressive. Not many people can do that."

The Doctor pulled the phone-shaped object from his pocket and studied it, raising his eyebrows when he realized the contents. "Human cells. DNA from a customer, perhaps? A disguise to get us in?"

"We're actually going to do it? We're going to rob the bank?" Clara asked in disbelief, rubbing her forehead, making the colorful charms on her bracelet jingle.

"I don't think we have a choice. We've already agreed to," the Doctor said gravely, handing the DNA sample to Saibra. She touched it, slipping the sample into her pocket and and transforming into a tall, gray-haired gentleman dressed in a suit.

"Well, on the bright side, I can now cross one more item off my bucket list!" the Ranger said cheerfully as he pulled open the door and they all stepped out, careful to assume an air of belonging as they joined the crowds and strode towards the banking hall.

Lyssa stared at him, memories of another trip with the hatted stranger finally starting to trickle in. "Why do you have robbing a bank on your bucket list?"

He frowned back at her over his shoulder. "Doesn't everyone?" Smirking at the look on her face, he fiddled with his hat, adjusting it until he was happy.

Edging closer to Saibra, the Doctor managed to whisper, "How long can you keep that up?"

"Long as I like," a deep voice informed him.

The Doctor nodded, then fell back to walk with Lyssa, Clara, and the Ranger. "Question one. Robbing banks is easy if you've got a TARDIS. So why am I not using it?"

"Question two, where is the TARDIS?" Clara pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, yeah, that probably should have been question one," the Doctor admitted.

A shrill alarm started beeping, and security bars slid down over all the doors and windows. " _Banking floor, locking down. Banking floor, locking down_ ," a cheerful man's voice announced over the intercom as everyone froze nervously in their spot.

The Ranger wrinkled his nose. "Oh, I like his voice. Why couldn't he've been the nutter to send us on this trip? The other bloke just sounded all strange."

"Not now, Hatter," Clara hissed. "They've just locked down the bank!"

A woman with a cold smile and large red curls piled atop her head strode into the room, heels clicking against the floor. Two fully armed guards and a creature with thick gray skin and two eyes on flexible stalks walked slowly into the room, clad in an orange jumpsuit and its' wrists bound together by chains.

"What is that?" Saibra whispered in shock, staring at the creature. Lyssa narrowed her eyes, feeling something prod at her memory.

"I don't know. And I hate not knowing," the Doctor grumbled, watching the woman carefully.

The woman strode up to a dark-skinned man in a suit, who was holding a briefcase and starting to look more and more nervous. "Excuse me, sir. I regret to say that your guilt has been detected." Her voice was coldly professional, and wholly detached.

"What? That's totally ridiculous!" the man blustered, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Is it, sir? Well then, we will certainly double-check. The Teller will now scan your thoughts for any criminal intent. Good luck, sir." She stepped back with a small smile. The customer put down his briefcase, rubbing his palms nervously.

"Interesting," the Doctor whispered, narrowing his eyes as the creature stepped forward.

"What is?" Psi asked quietly, unable to take his eyes off the creature.

"The latest thing in sniffer dogs. Telepathic. It hunts guilt," he said briefly.

Lyssa's mind immediately went to the time she'd snitched cookies from the supplies for her third grade class party after being told she couldn't go. She still felt a bit guilty about it.

"What about our guilt?" Clara asked nervously.

"Currently being drowned out."

A high-pitched sound rang out, and the customer clutched his head in pain, closing his eyes in concentration.

"What's he doing?" Clara whispered, stepping closer to the Ranger.

"If he has a plan, he's trying not to think about it," the Doctor said quietly.

"Ever tried not thinking about something?" Psi asked her. She shook her head.

"You may have to," Saibra said grimly.

The creature roared, and the woman stepped forward again. "Ah, criminal intent detected. How naughty. What was your plan? Counterfeit currency in your briefcase, perhaps?"

The man shook his head, face still screwed up in pain. "No, not at all, I swear it!"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't really matter, we'll establish the details later. The Teller is never wrong when it comes to guilt. Your account will now be deleted, and obviously your mind. Suppertime."

She snapped her fingers, and the armed guards holding the creature tugged its chains toward the man. It put its eyestalks together, and aimed a pulsating ray from them towards the man. He groaned, clutching his head.

Beside Lyssa, Psi stumbled a little. She grabbed his arm to steady him, and he shot her a grateful look, regaining his balance. She didn't let go yet, though, needing a little steadying of her own.

"It's wiping his mind, turning his brain into soup," the Doctor stated in horrified realization.

"Your next of kin will be informed, and incarcerated, as further inducement to honest financial transactions," the woman informed the customer as he doubled over, raising her voice to talk over him as he began to scream.

Lyssa clamped a hand over her mouth, feeling bile rise up in her throat.

"We have to help him," Clara whispered.

"He's gone already. It's over," the Doctor informed her heavily, casting a concerned glance back at Lyssa.

"But he's in agony! Look at him!" Clara protested angrily under her breath. The man continued to scream, liquid trailing down his cheeks.

"He's crying," Lyssa whispered, trying to swallow over the lump in her throat.

The Doctor shook his head, looking at her sympathetically. "Those aren't tears, Lyssa... That's soup."

The man stopped screaming and slumped forward, the creature separating its eyestalks as he did so. Two security guards caught the man and raised him upright, now with the upper front portion of his skull visibly caved in.

"Account closed," the woman said with all the satisfaction of completing a dreary task. "Take him away. He's ready for his close-up."

The group watched in varying degrees of horror as the woman and her entourage, dragging the now visibly brain-dead man through a hidden door. A moment later, the alarms stopped and the security bars lifted.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Lyssa moaned, swallowing thickly.

"They just killed a man, and nobody cared," Clara stated, staring at a small puddle of liquid on the floor where the customer had been standing. A staff member with a mob and bucket came out of another door and quickly started mopping it up. The crowd of people just went around him unfazed. "They all just went straight back to business like that's the usual here."

The Ranger wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her into him, and she went willingly, curling into his side. "I think it is, Clar. Why bother caring about one man who broke the rules and died, when they have more important things to worry about than the loss of innocent life, like money?" he asked sarcastically.

There was a slight feedback whine as the intercom turned on once more, then the woman's voice, still coldly pleasant, announced, " _Apologies for the disturbance. Everyone have a lovely day_."

* * *

 **A/N: I know that we're still too early in this for much to have been revealed about the last chapter, but I hope it's enough to give you guys a good hint, at least.**

 **And Jamie/The Ranger's back, almost forty chapters later! Whoo! :D**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Fakira, K, and afionna262 for reviewing!**

 ** _Fakira: No worries! I know all too well how insane life can get. :P As for this chapter... hopefully it leaves you less confused, and maybe even helps you figure out the last chapter? ;) I know it was a bit confusing, but it should all be explained in the coming chapters. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _K9: Your guess about who the mystery man and woman are is really close. I can't tell you how close here, because I don't think I can PM youm but if you still want to choose a brief sneak peek from the list of options last chapter, I could probably write one in at the end of one of the upcoming chapters. :) And I probably will do a chapter with The Veil at some point, but it'll probably be a while down the line. And I'm trying to help Lyssa grow as the story evolves. Obviously, it's a hit and miss thing, but I'm glad that there's been some progress, so thanks for the compliment and encouragement. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _afionna262: Don't worry - they're not going to be awful panic attacks, like with the Cybermen. More along the lines of "There are feelings involved and I don't know what to do!" You know, denial, that sort of thing? ;) Thank you for reviewing (They will always be helpful because feedback from my readers is always needed and wanted) and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	54. Chapter 54 - Time Heist, Part 2

"Yes, I think we will have a lovely day," the Doctor said decisively, wrapping his hand around Lyssa's and tugging her towards one of the deposit booths. Once everyone was inside the small room, the doors shut behind them with a click. "A very lovely day with high chances of incineration. What's next?"

" _Deposit booth locking. Please exhale. Your valuables will be transported up from the vault,_ " a computerized voice announced, a small transparent tube extending from a computer panel on the opposite wall.

Saibra, still disguised as an older gentleman, stepped forward, and, casting a nervous look at the others, breathed into the tube. It turned green and disappeared into the wall, a small panel opening to reveal a suitcase inside. Saibra returned to her original form, though she kept the DNA sample in her pocket just in case.

"Question," Psi spoke up, staring at the briefcase. "If this Architect - whoever he is - can break in here and plant this stuff, then why does he need our help?"

"Depends on what the thing is," the Doctor mused, dropping Lyssa's hand to fiddle with the latches on the briefcase. It opened to reveal several small objects and wires nestled inside. "Okay, well, I'm no expert, but fuses, timer. I'm going to stick my neck out and say bomb." He turned to Psi. "Bank schematic. Now."

The Ranger tsked in disapproval as Psi set to work on pulling up the schematics. "So rude. You could at least have said please."

The Doctor only grunted. "He's doing it, isn't he? What's the point of extra words when they would have changed nothing."

"Might have changed my opinion of you from 'completely rude' to only 'slightly rude,'" Psi interrupted sarcastically. "I've got the schematics up." He gestured to the screen in the wall, with data and floor plans displayed.

The Doctor frowned at the screen, studying it. "The floor below is all service corridors, the veins and arteries of the bank." He briefly tap danced in the middle of the floor as Psi disconnected himself, making Lyssa applaud when he finished. He just scowled at her. "He wants us to blow through the floor."

"Well, we'll die if we do that," Saibra pointed out. "Is that his plan? An elaborate way to kill us off for some ridiculous reason? Are we on some ridiculous game show?"

"Been there. Turned out to be Daleks. I don't think this is them," the Doctor dismissed. "Stop being so negative. We don't necessarily have to die. There must be a plan."

"What if the plan is, we're blowing up the floor for someone else? What if we're not supposed to make it out alive?" Clara frowned, shivering slightly. The Ranger rubbed her arms to warm her up, and received a grateful look in return, though she still looked a bit nervous.

The Doctor scowled at her. "Did you and Saibra meet to come up with these gloomy ideas? Don't be so negative. It's bad for team morale."

"What, and getting blown up won't be?" Saibra asked sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"Well, only very, very briefly," the Doctor said after some consideration, pulling out all the pieces from the briefcase and assembling them.

"Was that supposed to be comforting?" Lyssa asked slowly, crouching by him.

"I don't know. If it worked, then yes."

"Yeah, I'm afraid that's gonna be a negative, ghost rider. We humans are weird like that."

He rolled his eyes, but didn't stop working. "I knew that." He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, though, and lowered his voice. "Are you scared?"

She considered the question. "I think I am, a little bit, but more confused than anything." She remembered the man outside and shuddered, amending her statement. "Okay, I am kind of afraid of that Teller thing. That was incredibly disturbing."

"Okay, you know what, I've had enough," Psi suddenly announced, striding over to the door. "You can do you what you like. I'm going to take my chances out there."

"With a creature that can sense your guilt and wipe your mind?" The Ranger's question stopped him in his tracks, his hand frozen on the handle while Saibra watched them with a neutral expression. "You were planning on robbing a bank. This bank. How far do you think you're going to get?"

"Does it matter?" Psi countered. "This guy right here is a lunatic. He's building a bomb! How is that any better?"

"Well, the bomb is specifically designed to take you out for one," the Doctor's gravely voice broke in. "What do you want, Psi, more than anything else? Whatever it is, it's in this bank. You agreed to rob the most impregnable bank in history. You must have had a very good reason. We all must have. Picture the thing you want most in the universe, and decide how badly you want it. Well?"

"Don't know about you, but I've got what I want right here," the Ranger flirted at Clara, waggling his eyebrows at her suggestively as he tugged her into him once more.

Her cheeks pinked, but she smiled flirtatiously back up at him, her fingers reaching up and brushing past his cheek... to pull his hat over his eyes. "Better hope the Doctor doesn't blow us up with the floor then, or that might not last long." He shoved his hat back up with a grin and winked at her.

Lyssa just stared between the two, her jaw dropping slightly lower with each sentence. Clara and the Ranger were... flirting? But what about... about... She cast her mind, trying to think of Clara's love interest when she was with the Twelfth Doctor. A hazy image came to mind. Sammy, or Manny, or something like that. Danny? That sounded about right.

"Wait. You two are -" She stumbled over the words.

"Desperately, madly in love with each other? Destined from the beginning of time to be together?" the Ranger asked with a teasing grin, wrapping his arms around Clara from behind and resting his chin on her head.

She scoffed, pushing him off her with an annoyed expression. "Try nanny and her charge," she countered, rolling her eyes at Lyssa. "Overgrown man-child, this one. I tell him he's handsome _one_ time, and it goes straight to his head."

He pulled his hat off his head and began idly flipping it in his hands as the Doctor continued to work. "That's because most compliments I receive tend to be about my hats. Not that they don't deserve it, mind," he added hastily. "Wonderful hats they are."

 _This is what I have to put up with_ , Clara's expression clearly stated. "To answer your question, Lyssa, we're dating. Not that I don't wonder why sometimes..."

The Ranger pouted, then brightened. "Lyssa, I just realized. We never matched up! Where were you before this? You don't seem to see me as a complete stranger, so we must have met before at least once. Although you didn't know we were in a relationship either, so that means..." He trailed off before shrugging. "I don't know, actually. Time travel is confusing."

"Basically," Lyssa agreed. "I'm actually not quite sure where I was last. Everything's a bit blurry, although the Doctor told me it was just a side-effect from the memory wipe, and should disappear soon. I think it was somewhere with... Nine?" She had a brief flash of leather jackets and a Northern accent, and standing worriedly over a collapsed friend as ice shards fell from the ceiling.

She shuddered. "Somewhere not good. I think I was kind of out of it there, too, for some reason. Don't know how I got here. I have met you before, once. Yeah, I remember now!" she said excitedly. "Don't know if you remember it though. Have you gone on an adventure withe me yet where I'm half blind and the TARDIS shrinks?"

The Ranger raised his eyebrows and shared a concerned look with the Doctor. "Not that I'm aware of, no. I'd ask what happened, but..."

"Spoilers, yeah?" she grinned impishly. "First time I'd met any of you, actually. It's funny, actually. I think I was almost as confused when I arrived there as when I woke up here."

"Woke up?" the Doctor repeated, sounding worried. "What do you mean?" Something clicked and he bent over the bomb again. "Hold that thought."

"Yeah, why are you in charge, again?" Psi asked slowly.

"Basically, it's the eyebrows." The Doctor, evidently finished, placed the bomb in the middle of the floor then backed up to the wall and wrapped his hand around one of the pillars in the corners, tugging Lyssa with him.

Everyone else followed his example as the bomb started to whine, rising in pitch, then flashed brightly, blinding everyone in the room. When her vision cleared, there was a hole in the floor leading to another area below. The Doctor picked up the bomb with an impressed look. "Nice. Dimensional shift bomb. Sends the particles to a different plane. Come on then, Team Not Dead."

"See, this is why no one lets you pick the names," Lyssa snarked, sliding over the edge of the hole and dropping down, landing with a grunt. "Team Not Dead? Really?"

"Not my best, I'll admit," the Doctor granted, joining her and helping Clara down, quickly followed by the others as the doors in the deposit booth started to rattle while someone yelled outside. He pressed a button on the bomb, and the hole vanished, replaced with ceiling that matched the rest of the room.

Lyssa looked around. They seemed to be in a basement hallway, with several tables set up along the walls, and a few doorways here and there.

"So... what do we do now?" Saibra asked, raising her eyebrow at the Doctor. "What's the plan?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. The Architect set all this up. It should make sense. My personal plan is that a thing will probably happen quite soon."

"That's it?" she questioned disbelievingly. "That's your plan?"

"Yep."

"A thing will happen?" she repeated.

"A thing," he confirmed, then hesitated. "Probably."

"Don't dis the plan," the Ranger warned her. "I can't count the number of times where that's been his plan, and it has somehow worked. Although I wouldn't put it past him to make the 'thing' happen when he needs to."

"Doctor. Over there." Clara grabbed the Doctor's sleeve and pointed to a small briefcase resting on a far table.

"See? There you go. Thing time," the Doctor said gleefully, striding over to the table.

"How did he get the cases here, though?" Clara wondered.

"By breaking into the bank in advance of breaking into the bank," the Doctor informed her carelessly, hesitating for some reason before opening the case.

"Well, how did he do that? And if he can do that, then why does he need us to break into the bank?" Clara persisted.

"Clara's asking the real questions," Lyssa applauded, though the Doctor was less impressed.

"Not our problem."

"Well, what is our prob-prob-prob-prob-pr-?" Psi started, only to stutter over the word like a broken CD and stop in frustration.

"You okay?" Clara asked him.

"Drive glitch. It's fine," he dismissed.

The Doctor wasn't paying attention, staring down at the briefcase. "Guilt is our problem. Guilt, in this bank, is fatal. The Teller can hear it. Ever since that first case was opened, we've been targets. The more we know about why we're here, the louder our guilt screams. That's why we wiped our memories. For our own safety. Now, once I open this, I can't close it again."

"Would it be safer if only one of us opened it?" Psi wondered.

"That's why I'm waiting for you to volunteer," the Doctor informed him.

"Er, why me?" he asked, taken aback.

"Because you didn't need that memory worm, did you?" the Doctor challenged. "You're half-computer. You can perform a manual delete. You _can_ clear your thoughts."

Psi shrugged, not arguing with that, a small smile on his face. "Okay. Hand it over." The Doctor slid it over to him, and he moved it out of sight of the others. Carefully opening the case, he kept his head back at first as if it might explode when he opened it. Then he stared at the contents in puzzlement before shaking his head. "No plans. Just stuff. Equipment. I don't know what it is. You may as well have a look."

Everyone crowded around. There were eight small tubes with protruding needles that could be pulled, and plastic caps, almost like fat digital hypodermic needles. "What are they?" Psi continued.

The Doctor pocketed them. "Not a clue."

Saibra scanned his face with sudden attention. "Interesting."

He looked at her sharply. "What is?"

"You're lying."

"Er, why would he be lyi-lyi-lyi-lying?" Psi stuttered again, but was unable to bounce back this time, sinking to one knee. Clara immediately knelt down beside him, looking at him worriedly. "Ugh. Sorry. Stress. Drains the batteries."

The Doctor scanned the room, then locked on a power cable on the opposite wall. Darting over to it, he used his sonic to scan it until he found a socket box hidden behind it. "Interface with this," he called over his shoulder.

"Do we have time?" Saibra asked, lifting one of Psi's arms over her shoulders as the Ranger took the other one.

"Why not?" the Doctor shrugged. "There's no immediate threat." He helped Psi connect to the interface, and then -

An alarm began to blare. " _Intruders detected. Intruders detected._ "

They all froze, and the Doctor closed his eyes, muttering under his breath. "I really need to stop saying things like that. Just invites trouble. Clara, Jamie, you two stay with Psi. Lyssa, Saibra, you're with me. And Jamie..." He paused. "Let me know if you get anything." The younger man nodded, his eyes dark as he scanned the room.

The Doctor was already heading towards the door dark with shadows, Lyssa and Saibra close at his heels. A low moaning sound came from further in the shadow. Lyssa flinched and tried to step closer to the Doctor, grateful when his hand came back to clasp hers reassuringly.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" he said abruptly. She frowned at him, not sure what he meant, until Saibra spoke up.

"Why did you lie? Those hypo things, you know exactly what they are."

"Exit strategy of sorts. How did you know I was lying?"

She shrugged. "I've had a lot of faces. I know how to read them."

They came upon a grill clearly marked 'No Entry Under Any Circumstances.' The Doctor easily kicked it out, then helped the two of them through into a dark corridor faintly lit with a green light. "Quite a gift you've got there."

She scoffed. "A gift? You think this is a gift?"

"Got us in here, didn't it?"

She held up her gloved hand, looking at it with contempt. "Mutant gene. No one can touch me. If they do, I transform. Touch me, Doctor, and you'll be looking at yourself. I am _alone._ "

The Doctor frowned. "Why?"

She raised dark eyebrows at him. "Could you trust someone who looked back at you out of your own eyes?"

He looked away, tugging them further down the dark corridor. A slight clattering made Lyssa turn around in a panic, but it was just the Ranger and Clara, with Psi close behind, now looking back to normal.

A low moan came from in front of them, and she reluctantly continued forward, still clutching the Doctor's hand. They came to a row of cells, and she jerked to a stop when she saw the inhabitants, her stomach suddenly churning within her.

"Oh my gosh. How is he even still alive?" Clara gasped, staring at the customer who'd been... interrogated... earlier, cowering on the floor of his cell with his forehead caved in, held up only by chains attached to his wrists. Drool fell from his mouth to the floor, and a quick glance revealed that the occupants of the other cells were in a similar state.

"I don't know," the Doctor said grimly. "But someone is watching." He indicated a camera with a red light aimed at the cells.

Psi audibly swallowed. "Doctor. However this goes, don't let this happen to me."

Lyssa nodded in silent agreement beside him. Another alarm went off, and she jumped, a small shriek escaping her lips.

" _Intruders on the service level. Intruders on the service level._ "

"Annnnd, time to run," the Doctor announced, turning and tugging Lyssa after him through a series of twists and turns until they came to to another grill labeled 'No Entry.' "Now this says place to hide," the Doctor grinned, sonicking the grill until he was able to pry it off and squeeze through. "In we go. Quickly now."

He sonicked it back into place once everyone was through, then returned to take the lead once more. It was a dimly lit area, with a faint blue light coming from a glass shield on their left, clouded with fog and moisture droplets.

"Where are we?" Saibra whispered.

"It's a cage," Lyssa realized, seeing metal bars around the room, and a shrouded figure behind the glass.

The Doctor stepped forward to peer through the glass, then flinched backwards when the figure moved; stepping forward out of the mist to reveal the Teller, its antennae twitching.

"Nobody move," he whispered hoarsely as they all froze. "Nobody say a word. It's cocooned. Forced hibernation. Its power is probably dormant."

The sound of running boots and urgent voices appeared outside, stirring the Teller. They all waited, hardly daring to breathe until Clara flinched, casting the Doctor a very scared look.

"Clara. It's locked on to you. It may still be asleep. Don't wake it," he ordered quietly, stepping carefully closer to her. The Ranger stood right behind her, his hand hovering over her shoulder, unsure whether it was safe to touch her or not.

"Okay. How do I not do that?" Clara asked in a shrill whisper, trying not to panic.

"Keep your mind blank. Block everything. Once it locks onto your thoughts, it won't let go," the Doctor warned her. Clara shut her eyes immediately, her face screwed up with effort. The Teller growled, its antennae drifting towards Clara, making her flinch again.

"It's waking up. Keep blocking your thoughts, Clara. Don't think!" the Doctor urged her. She tried harder, only to have the creature roar as it became fully awake and aware, but lost control of her thoughts.

Footsteps began pounding towards them. "Okay, time to go. Everybody, run!" the Doctor ordered.

"This way!" Psi directed them to another grill, yanking it off the wall to open up their escape path back to the corridor.

The Ranger shoved Clara out first, then turned back to yank Lyssa through, tumbling through onto the cold tile floor. The Doctor stopped halfway through, turning back for Saibra when she cried out.

"Saibra!"

"She's still in there!" Clara realized in horror. "We've got to get her out of there!"

Lyssa watched anxiously as the Doctor reached out to Saibra, but she was frozen, unable to move as the Teller began to scan her thoughts. "It's scanning her brain," the Doctor told them. "Saibra, clear your thoughts!"

"What happens next?" Psi asked fearfully.

The Doctor glanced back at him grimly. "Soup."

"Then help her!" Clara pleaded as Saibra began to groan.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Lyssa tried, her vision misting over as she tried to step closer to help, only to be prevented by the Doctor.

"Saibra!" the Doctor called.

"What do I do?" the woman pleaded, her anguish clear on her face. "How do I get away?"

"It's rooting through your brain. It's tasting all the secrets stashed inside. Any moment now, it will finish its sweep and start feasting on what's left," the Doctor informed her.

"And then I become one of those things we saw sitting in a cage?" Saibra finished weakly.

The Doctor nodded grimly. "Yes."

"Can't you get me out?" Saibra tried again.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know how, once it's locked onto your thoughts."

She panted, groaning as a fresh wave of pain seemed to strike. "Exit strategy. That means what I think it means, right?"

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the needles from earlier and handed it to her through the grill, now completely separated from her. "Atomic shredder."

"Painless?"

"In an instant," he promised her.

"When you meet the Architect, promise me something. Kill him." She groaned again.

"I hate him, but I can't make that promise," the Doctor apologized, everyone else watching in silent horror as they realized these were now her last seconds.

Despite her pain, Saibra smirked. "A good man. I left it late to meet one of those." She fired the pin and vanished in a flash of blue light, the Teller roaring in frustration.

The Doctor replaced the grate, then turned to them, face set.

"One down, and five to go," the Ranger whispered solemnly.

* * *

 **A/N: Guess who's finally back!**

 **Thank you guys so much for your understanding and patience while I took off the month of September. Your support has been amazing and I can't tell you how much I appreciated it. I feel so much better, and I have so many more ideas for this story, and have been able to work through several key points that I'd been struggling with.**

 **I am still going to shoot for updates on Saturday nights, but I'm going to extend my posting deadline to Sunday nights, due to certain events, so updates in the future may come on either Saturday or Sundays. Thanks for your understanding!**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to afionna262, ZaraSwann, K9, QuinnLockwood, brmngirl, NeoMulder, Mermaid1108, gabumon7, and Elysium Phoenix for reviewing! (I've PM'd almost all of you to save space, but a few of you aren't logged in, so I'll respond herev**

 ** _K9: I've PM'd you your reward options to the username you gave me, feel free to look them over and choose one. :)_**

 ** _Mermaid1108: Thank you so much! Your support means so much to me. :) I'm feeling a lot better, and so much more inspired for this story, so updates should be coming out on a regular basis once a week. Thanks for an awesome review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 **Once again, thank you guys so much for your support, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, the Tenth Doctor would still be around. And the Eleventh... And the Twelfth... :D Sadly, all I own is Lyssa.**


	55. Chapter 55 - Time Heist, Part 3

"Eight," the Doctor muttered as he led the way through the small tunnel. "But there were only six of us. Why?"

"What are you jabbering on about, old man?" the Ranger called up in a low whisper.

"Numbers, you whippersnapper," the Doctor retorted, coming to a divided track and taking the left. "Numbers that don't add up."

"What about 'em?"

"There were six of us, correct?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So why were there eight atomic shredders?" He stopped and looked at the younger man, brows furrowed. "And why were there only five worms?" he whispered harshly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"There were six of us in that room, Jamie. Only five worms. Why?"

"Well, didn't you say that Psi didn't need a worm, since he could manually delete the information?" Clara offered, pressing against the wall as she squeezed through a tight spot.

"Yes, but he was holding one when I saw him. We all were. Except for Lyssa." They both turned to look at her.

She waved sheepishly. "Hello."

"You didn't get your memory wiped?" Psi interrupted. "But then how's that work? I thought that was supposed to help keep us alive." He winced. "Not that it did Saibra any good."

Lyssa looked down. "No, I got my memory wiped same as you, I think. I just didn't use the worm. First thing I remember is the Doctor holding my temples. Told me my memories might be mixed up for a bit, and told me not to look ahead. Oh yeah!" She peered up ahead at the Doctor. "I have a paper I'm supposed to give you when all of this is over. Don't know what it says, though, so don't ask me."

"Wait. You didn't use the worm, but you still got your memories wiped?" Psi frowned. " But you're not like me. How did you get rid of them?"

"Of course!" The Doctor suddenly smacked himself in the forehead. "I'm so slow. I'm slowing down. I'm spending too much time with pudding brains, I'm missing the obvious."

"What's so obvious?" Psi snapped.

"Oh," the Ranger suddenly realized, eyes wide. "That - that makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Clara asked in exasperation. "Mind explaining it for the rest of us feeble-minded mortals?"

"Sorry, Clar," the Ranger apologized, fiddling with the brim of his hat. "The memory worm wouldn't have worked on Lyssa because it would only have wiped the events of the last hour from her memory. If she knew what was going to happen, she would have realized what was going on as soon as she recognized a familiar event. That would have given her a lot of guilt, and made her a lot more noticeable to the Teller."

"Okay, so, pretending I know what you're talking about, which I don't, if the memory worm didn't work on her, and she can't just wipe her own memories, how did she lose them then?" Psi interrupted impatiently. "And can you explain quickly? I really feel like we should keep moving."

"I wiped her memories," the Doctor said quietly. They all turned to look at him, Lyssa with wide eyes. "I wiped all her memories of the event, then told her not to look ahead. That's the only way she would have been able to avoid knowing what lay ahead."

"I'm sorry, but are you telling me that you know the future?" Psi closed his eyes. "That might have been nice to know beforehand."

"What would have been the point?" the Doctor asked dismissively, turning back around and starting to walk again. "She only knows the future sometimes, and apparently I wiped all of her knowledge of this event, so it would have been useless information."

"Useless?" Psi repeated incredulously, starting to sound angry. "Useless? Saibra's dead! If we'd known about that, we could have prevented it! You could have told us, and she'd still be alive right now! Couldn't she at least have written it down or something before you wiped her memories?"

"No." The Doctor's voice was as cold as ice.

The Ranger cast a warning look at Psi, but it was ignored as he stepped closer to the Doctor, glaring at him and Lyssa, who shrank behind the Doctor guiltily.

"No?"

"No." The Doctor returned his glare fiercely, stepping in front of Lyssa and blocking her from Psi's view. "For it to be of any use, she'd have to know the exact circumstances surrounding it, and where and when it occurred, as well as how to stop it. And I don't know if you missed this, but _I_ didn't know how to stop the Teller, and I'm the one who's usually the expert in these sort of situations. Not her. Lyssa occasionally knows the future, not how it works. And for the record, I _really_ don't like people who try to make Lyssa feel guilty for things that aren't her fault. _Particularly_ in situations where that guilt puts her in danger. So I suggest you back off. Before. I. Make _._ You."

"Was that a threat?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"Okay, let's just all calm down here," Clara interrupted, pushing in between the two men and shoving them apart with her hands on their chests, the Ranger standing close behind her, ready to back her up if need be. "Doctor, I'm sure that Psi didn't mean to be so stupid and heartless as to imply that Lyssa was responsible for Saibra's death."

She turned to Psi. "And I'm sure the Doctor didn't mean to sound dismissive of Saibra's death. Look. We're all under a lot of pressure, and don't have much time. Maybe we can just... focus on getting out of here alive, without anyone else dying, and then go from there, yeah?"

The Doctor stared at Psi a moment longer, then coolly turned back towards the front of the group, taking Lyssa's hand in his and tugging her along. "I'm not the one who has a problem. Let's go. The sooner we're out of here, the better, as far as I'm concerned."

The rest of the group followed silently, although Lyssa's stomach was churning. Was Psi really right? Could she have been responsible for Saibra's death? She had no way of knowing until she had her memories back, but the possibility that she could have prevented this weighed heavily on her.

What if someone else was supposed to die? Maybe if she just looked ahead briefly, tried to look for deaths specifically, she could prevent something without drawing too much attention to herself. Letting the Doctor tug her forward, she closed her eyes, trying to find the timelines -

And found herself jerked abruptly back to reality by the Doctor's harsh whisper of her name. "Lyssa! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"More like trying to not get anyone else killed if it can be avoided," she grumbled, pulling her hand out of his and crossing her arms. "Or maybe even figure out what we're really here for."

"Yeah, or maybe you're just setting yourself up as the tastiest treat for the Teller," the Doctor rebuked her. "Past me told you not to look ahead, and he must have had an excellent reason in addition to the already excellent one of: Don't make yourself the biggest target. For all you know, no one else is going to die; except now you've just made yourself a heck of a lot guiltier, because you know what what we're going to steal. Then you get caught by the Teller, and that's how you end up like the man in the cage. Don't be stupid, Lyssa, it's not a good look on you."

Okay. That stung, and he likely had meant it to. She cast him a glare as he kept walking, but he didn't seem to notice. She dropped to the back of the group, choosing to stand by Clara and the Ranger instead of sticking close to His Royal Majesty Who Knows All And Must Be Obeyed. Clara cast her a sympathetic look, resting her hand on her arm before stepping up to the Doctor, while the Ranger stayed behind with her.

"You know he didn't mean it, right?" the Ranger asked quietly, looking down at her.

Lyssa scoffed, crossing her arms again. "No, I'm pretty sure he meant it. This him's a bit less impressed with us 'pudding brains'," she mocked sourly.

"I'd say less socially-aware, but yes, he's admittedly less impressed at times. But I know him, and he's never compared you to humans in any way but favorable. He doesn't think you're stupid, or anything like that. He's just worried, about the situation, and you, and it comes out as cross. That seems to be his default this time around, please don't take it personally."

Lyssa raised an eyebrow at him skeptically as they made their way to the grill. "He seemed to mean it personally."

The Ranger sighed. "That's because you made it personal. Saibra was unfortunate, but not the end of the world. But you conceivably put yourself in danger, and you mean a whole lot more to him than you think. That made it personal, and so he lashed out. It's what people do."

"I guess," Lyssa shrugged reluctantly. "It's just... he's never talked to me like that before. And I've been with him for over a year now. He's only really gotten cross with me once before, and that was because I pushed him in a conversation he was clearly uncomfortable with, and he apologized almost immediately afterwards."

"And he'll probably do the same here," the Ranger told her. "You're one of the few people he'll let go of his pride for right away. Just... give him a little grace, yeah? He's under a lot of pressure here, trying to keep us all safe. You know he takes each of our lives seriously, and each death weighs on him, even if he won't admit it."

"Yeah, I know," Lyssa admitted with a sigh, uncrossing her arms and letting them fall to her sides. "You're right."

"I always am," the Ranger cracked a grin. "Well, at least, sometimes I am. Come on, we should catch up with the others. I think we're getting close to an exit."

"And how do you know that?" she challenged him, but picked up her speed anyways.

He shrugged. "The air feels different."

She scoffed, but they came around a bend just then, and found the Doctor just pushing out a grill and stepping out into a corridor. The Ranger shot her a smug look, and she conceded defeat. He helped her over the lip into the corridor, which branched into three different hallways, and held a large, locked vault at the other end.

"Right, vault. That's clear. What's not clear is what we do now," the Doctor muttered, scanning the vault with his sonic screwdriver.

Clara walked up to him, tilting her head to the side concernedly as she watched him. "Hey, you okay?" she asked softly.

He scoffed, not looking at her. "No. I'm an amnesiac robbing a bank. Why would I be okay?"

"Because you just got cross with Lyssa, and you only do that if you're really worried. I've seen you stop mid-rant to check on her, then go straight back to scolding whoever roused your ire. And Saibra's dead, and now you're worried about the rest of us dying too."

"Saibra is dead, we are alive," the Doctor interrupted, not looking at her. "I suggest you prioritize if you want to stay that way."

Oh, is _that_ why you call yourself the Doctor?" Psi asked angrily. "The professional detachment?"

The Doctor stopped scanning with a sigh and turned to him. "Listen. When we're done here, by all means, you go and find yourself a shoulder to cry on. You'll probably need that. Till then, what you need is me. And what I need to do, is focus on getting out of here. Preferably without anymore interruptions." He stopped scanning the vault and scowled when he saw the results, turning to study the wall until he found another computer access cove nearby.

"Underneath it all, he's really not like that," Clara tried to tell Psi.

He just scoffed. "It's very obvious you've been with him a long while."

"Why?"

"Because you're very good at making excuses for him," he told her bluntly.

"Hey!" Lyssa snapped, making them both turn to her in surprise. She flushed at the sudden attention, not quite having intended to actually say that out loud, but continued. "He really does care about every life taken, he just... doesn't really show it anymore. Because he's lost so many that he can't always grieve even when he should. And because he can't let it distract him, because that could mean more people die. And he never wants that to happen, no matter what he says."

Psi stared at her. "You must care about him an awful lot if you're still defending him so much even after he yelled at you."

The heat in her cheeks deepened and she looked away. "Because that's what we do. He's my best friend. Even when we're cross we look out for each other."

"I found another gift from our lovely benefactor," the Doctor called to them, interrupting Psi's response. He didn't sound like he'd been listening, but Lyssa suddenly hoped he hadn't been. It'd been embarrassing enough to admit to Psi even a small amount of how much she cared without the added factor of him overhearing it. "Shall we unwrap it?"

"Ooh, I hope it's another bomb!" the Ranger declared, bounding over to the Doctor's side eagerly. "I like blowing things up."

"Boys and their toys," Clara scoffed as they joined the Doctor as he opened the metal briefcase. "Let them set off a detonator one time, and they ask for another one for Christmas."

"And what a lovely Christmas it was," the Ranger sighed nostalgically. "My best girl, lots of hot chocolate and pretzels, wonderful gifts... It truly was the bomb."

Clara's face lost all expression. "Nope. I'm out. Sorry, Doctor. You're on your own with this one from here on out."

"Aw, but Clara," the Ranger pouted, draping an arm over her shoulders. "You always told me you were drawn to my _explosive_ personality. Surely you couldn't leave that behind."

"Don't you start," she warned him, but it was too late.

"You already promised you would be _mine_ this year."

"I never agreed to anything concerning bad puns!"

"Hey! I've made plenty of good puns C4."

"I'm breaking up with you," Clara deadpanned.

"Wow. Talk about a short fuse."

Lyssa snickered. She immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The Ranger had heard her, and he pointed to her with glee. "Ha! See? Lyssa appreciates my puns! Why can't you?"

"Lyssa hangs out with you and the Doctor. Her taste is already questionable."

"Hey!" Both Lyssa and the Ranger objected to that one, looking indignantly at the short brunette, who just smirked at them.

"Well, if you lot are done jabbering, I've managed to patch myself into the system," Psi grunted, drawing their attention. His face was set in a grimace, and he held a small device in his hand that connected to wires from his palm.

He carried it over to the computer access cove and hooked himself into that, tapping at the device a few times before scowling. "Right, the system looks like it's time-delayed. There are twenty-four lock codes I need to break."

A low growl echoed through the halls into the corridor, silencing them all. A chill ran down Lyssa's spine as they all looked around for any sign of the Teller. It wasn't in sight, but it was close.

"Doctor, it's coming, and we're trapped here. What do we do?" Clara asked nervously, unconsciously seeking out the Ranger's hand and squeezing it.

"Psi, how long will that take?" the Doctor asked instead.

The augmented human shook his head. "As long as it takes."

The Doctor scowled, thinking. "It's locked onto one of our thought trails. We have to split up, minimize the brain signals."

"What happened to your professional detachment, Doctor?" Psi mocked him. He held out his hand, and the Doctor, understanding, placed one of the atomic shredders in his hand.

"Wait, no!" Clara tried to protest, stepping forward.

Psi just pocketed the device and looked at her calmly. "In case it finds me, it's my choice," he told her.

She scowled. "You don't use that. Promise me."

Another growl echoed through the area.

"Time to run," Psi said instead, sitting down on the floor.

"Separate!" the Doctor ordered, pulling Lyssa down one corridor and directing Clara and the Ranger down another. Running until they came to another branch, he stopped and took both her hands, looking down at her. "Lyssa, about earlier..."

"Hey, don't you be feeling guilty, now, spaceman," Lyssa interrupted warningly, smiling a little up at him. "I have it on good authority that that's a bad idea right now."

He didn't smile. "I stand by what I meant. It was dangerous, and I don't think you should have risked it, but I shouldn't have said it the way I did. I'm sorry."

She started to speak, but another growl, though slightly more distant, cut her off. Changing her mind, she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheeks, then dropped back down with red cheeks, backing up a few steps to the hallway on the left.

"I forgive you, you daft old man. I know you were worried. But now I think we'd better run. Stay safe!" she called over her shoulder, turning and darting down the corridor, hearing his footsteps disappearing in the other direction.

The basement area seemed to be a maze, with turns and new branches popping up with increasing frequency the further she ran. She didn't really focus on that, though, too occupied with her last interaction with the Doctor.

Why had she kissed him? All he'd done was apologize for being rude - which he had been - and then she'd gone and kissed him! Who knows what he was thinking of her now, but she hoped he didn't think she was too forward. It was just to thank him and show him she understood, right?

She rounded a corner and immediately collided with a warm body. She shrieked as she fell to the ground, and was hastily shushed. She sat up with a groan, rubbing her hip as she climbed back to her feet, glancing up at the person, then immediately did a double take.

"Clara?" she hissed incredulously at the brunette woman. "How did you get over here? You went in the opposite direction of us! And when did you change your clothes? And... why are you crying?" She looked the shorter woman up and down.

Clara had somehow changed out of her classy pantsuit into a dark red velvet floor-length dress that opened in the skirt to reveal a satin red underskirt, and was embroidered with gold swirls and runes. Her sheer sleeves widened at her elbows and fell down to the floor in waves. A large crown rested atop her curls, and tears glistened on her cheeks, though far paler than she had ever seen them.

"I'm - I need your help," Clara whispered in a pained voice.

"Clara? What's wrong?" Lyssa scrambled to get closer to the woman, but stopped when she offered a plain white card instead. She took it in confusion and looked it over. "Hist. 206?" she read aloud. "What is this?"

"That is the key to unlocking the box that contains the Abrit Unulj," Clara whispered, grimacing. "It is a historical artifact that was stolen from my people over two thousand years ago, and we have suffered for its loss ever since. It contains the cure to a plague that has devastated my people, and if I do not bring it back in time, my people will perish to the sickness. I was able to break in when the solar flares weakened the security, but I am not meant to return. I will die here, but I will not fail my people again. Please. Return it for me, and free my people."

Lyssa froze, eyes wide. "You're not Clara," she realized. "You don't know me, and I don't know you; why - why are you trusting me with this? How do you know I'll be able to bring it back or whatever? And you're dying? What?"

The woman smiled faintly. "My name is Clarel, Queen of the Abjuln. I came here to retrieve the device that was stolen from us, but as soon as I saw you here, I knew I would not leave alive. We are the keepers of history and legend in the universe. Long has legend foretold that the Doctor and his mate would save our people, but it would come at great cost. You have been targeted by the Teller. If you die, so do my people. I took your place."

She closed her eyes, another tear trickling down her cheek. "The healer of the universe must heal my people as has been foretold, and I must depart. Life and death. It is the way of the universe. A perfect balance, as it should be."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down a minute there, Thanos." Lyssa held up her hands, staring at the woman in horrified realization. "You mean to tell me that the Teller is killing you? Right now? And you did that on purpose? For me? Why? Why are you doing this? Why are you trusting me to fulfill the prophecy or whatever?"

Clarel drew in a shaky breath. "Perhaps you do not remember it, or perhaps you have not yet done it. I was but a little girl when you visited me. The Angel of time and her Doctor. I was lost, near death, and you saved me, and my people. You gave me hope when I had none, and now it is time for me to return the favor. You will save so many lives today, more than I could ever hope to touch, and - " she stopped, crying out. "Please. Promise me you will help my people," she pleaded weakly. "I am not long for this world, but I can rest easy knowing my Angel and my people are safe."

"Don't just give in!" Lyssa cried, tears coming to her eyes as she stared at the woman who wore Clara's face. "Please, try to fight it. Think of your people!"

A soft smile touched Clarel's lips. "I am. I trust you to look out for them, Angel." Then her face changed, all color fleeing completely as she raised her hands to her head and started to scream, her whole body shaking as pain racked through her.

"No!" Lyssa screamed, her hands covering her mouth. "Clarel, please!" she begged the woman, starting to sob in horror as Clarel continued to scream.

She tried to back up and tripped over her feet, falling to the ground and crawling backwards in horror and struggling not to vomit as clear liquid began to fall from Clarel's eyes and nose, and her forehead started to sink. "No, no, no, no!" she sobbed, tears blinding her vision as the screaming suddenly stopped and the corridor went silent.

Hands grabbed her shoulders and she screamed, fighting them off blindly until she was crushed into a chest, a double heartbeat that she immediately recognized filling one ear, hastily whispered murmurs of comfort filling the other. A hand stroked her hair, a bit too frantic to be soothing before she was lifted into the air and moving rapidly away from the scene.

Blinking back tears, she struggled to wipe at her eyes and grimaced as a headache started to form from the crying. "Doctor?" she sniffed weakly, peering up at the worried Time Lord as he ran. "How did you find me?"

"Followed the screaming," he said shortly. "Knew you were in trouble and ran for it."

"Clara died," she whispered, voice breaking again as her hand spasmed around the key the other woman had given her. "She said she took it to protect me because we needed to save her people. She died to protect me, and I didn't even know it until I ran into her."

"That wasn't Clara," the Doctor told her worriedly, glancing down at her briefly. "Clara went the opposite direction. There's no way she could have made it all the way over there in that time, and she was wearing the wrong clothes."

"No. Her face, it was Clara's," Lyssa insisted weakly, then started crying again when she remembered what had happened to the woman's face. "She died. The Teller killed her!" Her headache spiked again, and she whimpered in pain as a spike seemed to stab at her brain. "Ow."

The Doctor stopped immediately, staring down at her with frightened eyes. "Lyssa, what's wrong?"

"I have a headache," she complained, lifting up a hand to rub at her forehead and trying to hold back more tears. "It keeps getting worse." She felt her heart drop when his face paled. "What? What is it?"

"Lyssa, you were just standing next to a woman killed by the Teller. Which means it was close enough to feel your thoughts as well, it was just focused on her. When she died, you felt guilty. Guess who the Teller's next target is?"

"Me," Lyssa realized, drawing in a shaky breath. After a moment of panic, she started to struggle futilely in the Doctor's arms. "Let me go. If this is the Teller -" she stopped briefly when a wave of hot pain flashed through her head, "then you need to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you to the Teller," the Doctor growled, lifting her closer to him and taking off again. He stopped when she cried out as the pain immediately deepened and she tensed in his arms.

"Doctor, please," she pleaded. "I don't want you to see me end up like her. And I don't want you to get caught because of me." She shuddered again, burying her head in his coat in an attempt to hide from the pain. It didn't work, and she whimpered. "Doctor, I'm scared."

His voice caught. "So am I. But it'll be a cold day in the Void before I let you die." He tried to move further away again, but had to stop when she tensed once more, hot pain flashing through her mind and digging into her memories, scattering them and blending her thoughts together. He growled, eyes wild as he scanned the corridor before he stopped, eyes boring into hers. "Lyssa, do you trust me?"

She sniffed, lip trembling as her head started to explode, but nodded.

He raised a hand to her head, stroking her hair back behind her ear gently before pressing two fingers to her temple. "Sleep."

And Lyssa slept, everything fading into a peaceful blackness as the world disappeared around her.

When the blackness started to lift, she felt herself being taken from the comforting warmth she had known, and she started to struggle, panicking a little, only to quiet as a familiar voice told her to hush, and she was snuggled back up against a warm chest, two heartbeats filling her ears once more. She sighed, tempted to drift off once more as even the thought of opening her eyes seemed a struggle to great to even contemplate right then.

She heard a door creak, and a familiar sounding wheeze, and smiled faintly, knowing the TARDIS was nearby. Time seemed hazy, and everything faded again as she drifted off once more.

This time when she woke up, she was reclined on a cushioned bench with something warm that smelled like the Doctor draped over her. She slowly pulled her eyes open and sat up with a yawn, her blanket falling off her shoulders to her lap and revealing itself to be the Doctor's jacket. Looking around slowly, she frowned when she realized that she was on the bench in the console room of the TARDIS.

"Ah, so the sleeping beauty finally awakes, does she?" the teasing voice came from her left, and she turned to see the Ranger smirking down at her. "Took you long enough. Psi and Saibra were just about to leave."

"What? Psi and who?" The last bits of sleepiness fell away as her memories came flooding back. "Saibra? But she died! And where - " She looked around in slow realization. "I'm in the TARDIS. How did I get here? _When_ did I get here?"

"Uh, let me see," the Ranger paused to think. "Turns out the atomic shredders were just teleporters to a ship somewhere above the planet, which also held the TARDIS. Saibra, and later Psi, were transported up there, then disguised themselves as guards and freed us when we got captured by the Teller in the vault - which finally unlocked, by the way. Turns out Psi got a chip that restored all his memories, and Saibra got a gene suppressant that made her completely human. She'll be free to touch people all she wants, and she'll stay looking exactly the same."

"Oh, good." Lyssa smiled uncertainly, still confused. "What about us? What did we get to get us to agree?"

The Ranger shrugged. "For the Doctor, he helped out the last of a species. Turns out the Teller was being forced to help the Director - who was actually a lady with severe self-hatred and made clones of herself that she regularly incinerated. Anyways, the Director had the only other of the Teller's species, and used that to blackmail the Teller into working for her. The Doctor set her free when the Director ran away from the bank to escape from the solar flare that was going to destroy the bank, and set the Teller and its mate free on an uninhabited planet where they would be free to live together far from any sort of interference."

"Okay," Lyssa blinked, trying to take in all the new information. "I think I understood most of that. Did we ever find out who set us up for all this?"

"Oh, yeah!" the Ranger nodded. "It was the Director and the Doctor."

"... What?"

"Yeah, it was an older version of the Director who felt regret in her old age, and wanted to try and make at least one thing right by freeing the Teller, so she called the Doctor, because he gave her his number back at the bank when she was young, and he set it all up. He was the Architect by the way. He just disguised his voice. Oh, and he got his memories back by using the Teller to bring up all his old memories, then stopped him before it went too far."

"I... am so lost right now," Lyssa muttered. "What about me? How did I escape the Teller? The Doctor was so sure that it had latched onto me. If he didn't use an atomic shredder - or teleport thingy, I guess, then how did it leave me alone?"

"I took a chance. A very, very risky chance that I felt very fortunate paid off," the Doctor broke in, stepping into the console room. "The Teller had latched onto the memories and guilt in your mind. I sent you into a dreamless sleep and hid all your thoughts and memories behind an emergency wall. It lasted long enough for the Teller to lose its grasp on you."

"Oh. Wait." Lyssa frowned. "If you used that to fight off the Teller, then how come you didn't use it on the others?"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her. "I have to have a strong bond with someone to be able to do what I did. I didn't know Saibra or Psi well enough to do that. It wouldn't have worked, and would likely have just caused them more pain. I have a close bond with you, I just wasn't sure you'd have a strong enough bond with me for it to work. Lucky for us both, you did."

"Oh." Lyssa stared down at her hands, studying them intently rather than keep looking at the Doctor and what his admission might possibly have meant. Another unpleasant memory surfaced. "What about Clarel?"

The Ranger frowned. "Clarel? Who's that?"

The Doctor looked pained. "An echo of Clara's, would be my guess. She came here to steal an artifact for her people, but ended up distracting the Teller so it would focus on her and not Lyssa. She... died."

The Ranger sucked in a breath. "If you'll excuse me." He turned and swiftly left the TARDIS, hand in his pocket and head bowed low.

"Did we get the artifact?" Lyssa asked worriedly. She would feel awful if the poor woman had gone through all that suffering for nothing. Well... more awful, at any rate.

The Doctor nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small golden relic, vaguely shaped like a cube within a sphere. He tucked it back into his pocket. "You were holding the paper with the box number to the artifact in your hand when I found you. We'll stop by the Abjulni planet after we drop off Psi and Saibra. Give them the bad news."

"Oh. And - speaking of papers, you gave me one to give you when this was all over," Lyssa remembered, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the slip of paper her had given her before all this started.

He unfolded the paper, reading the contents before nodding in understanding. "Lyssa, do you want me to bring your memories back, now?"

"You can do that?" she asked in surprise.

He nodded. "It'll take a minute, but I basically just locked them behind a door. Shouldn't take much to unlock it now that I've got the key."

"Oh. Then yeah, sure. Do you want me to stand, or...?"

"It'd probably be best if we both sat," the Doctor muttered, sitting down on the bench next to her. "Just close your eyes, and uh, close any doors you don't want opened. I won't go in them. I'm just here to bring back your memories."

Lyssa nodded, closing her eyes and startling when she felt his hands on her temples once more. This time, though, instead of sending her to sleep, she found herself back in the long hallway she had been in earlier.

"What?" she murmured, raising a hand that she only now realized was tinted with gold, turning it back and forth in awe. "What is this place?"

"This is how you see your mind," the Doctor's voice answered her. She turned to look, and saw him standing beside her, glowing a faint blue. "Remember what I said. Close any doors you don't want open, and I'll leave them be."

She nodded, stepping back as he began to glow a brighter blue, a blue line extending from him all the way up the wall and along the ceiling further down the hallway. Feeling curious, she followed him, smiling when she saw how it lit up the hallway as she went. The doors continued as she went down, some open, some closed, and she looked at them curiously.

One was labeled 'Doctor Who' and it was firmly shut, with a little 'Spoilers' sign below it. She smirked, knowing immediately why this one was blocked off. She blushed when she saw that the door labeled 'Celebrity Crushes' from her teenage years was open, and immediately pulled it shut, trying not to think about her awkward fangirl years. Come to think of it, they'd never really left. She grimaced at the thought and moved on.

Eventually, though, she got tired of exploring her mental hallway and focused on the blue light, following that until she looked around and realized that the hallway had changed until it looked like the TARDIS hallways from Twelve, a little bit darker and sleeker.

Colder. She shivered, and frowned when she felt warmth wrap around her, then blushed when she realized it was the blue light from the Doctor wrapped around her shoulders. She poked at it until it came off, trying to be gentle in case the Doctor could feel it.

"I don't know what you are, but thanks, I guess," she muttered sheepishly.

"It's my subconscious thought," the Doctor said suddenly as he appeared out of nowhere, scaring her and making her jump.

"Don't do that!" she scolded him, then added, more curiously, "What do you mean, subconscious?"

"Exactly that," he told her. "The gold light," he gestured to the golden light that streamed from her and wrapped around his ankle before continuing on, "is your subconscious thought, and the blue light is mine. You felt scared, and I could feel it because of where we are, and my instinctive response was to comfort you. Hence the blue light trying to comfort you. Part of your thoughts are focused on me, hence why your light is partially wrapped around me before it goes back off further."

"Oh," Lyssa said dumbly. Her cheeks pinked with embarrassment, and the Doctor chuckled.

"Mine's the same way. Why do you think it follows you everywhere?"

"Because you're a stalker," she grumbled, and then before he could speak, asked, "So did you fix my memories?"

He frowned. "Not yet. Hold that thought," he muttered, then vanished from beside her, but the blue light still remained.

"Hold that thought," she scoffed, shaking her head and continuing further down the hallway. "Irony, much?"

She frowned when she saw light coming from an open door up ahead, and wandered over to it curiously. It had her name on the doorway, and looked exactly the same as it did in the TARDIS, and she traced her name over it curiously.

"I have a room for myself? That's kind of weird," she muttered, stepping into the room. A wave of affection and protection washed over her, so strong that she nearly stumbled back a step. "What?"

She glanced around the room in confusion. A heavy curtain was drawn over part of it, but she could see the room go on for what seemed like miles behind it. The rest of it held boxes and mementos from past events she remembered with the Doctor. The blue light filled the room, winding around the ceiling before wrapping affectionately around her leg and trailing off again, the waves of affection never stopping.

"I'm still so confused. What is going on? I don't feel this affectionate about myself," she complained, still looking around the room. "Why did my mind make a room for me? I thought the whole point of this was that the entire hallway was me - " She froze. "Unless this room isn't mine. Unless it's the Doctor's."

A memory from the show sped through her mind.

 _A doorway can be traveled through both ways._

She was in the Doctor's mind, and he had a whole room devoted to her.

And she could feel how much he cared about her, the never-ending waves of affection a testament to that. She laughed, tears coming to her eyes as they washed over her, almost like a hug each time. She'd never felt so cared for before, even from her friends. Definitely not her mother. She'd never felt so loved.

This man cared about people so much, so deeply, and people had the nerve to call him cold and detached. But here she was, standing in the evidence of his ability to care so deeply that he had a whole room devoted just to her. And she loved him for it.

As soon as she had the thought, she froze. She loved him for it. She _loved_ him for it. She loved the Doctor for caring about her. _And she'd had that thought while the Doctor had direct access to her thoughts._

Panicking, having an instant mental shutdown, she scrambled out of the room and back down the hallway until she returned to the cream hallway where she slowed to a stop, trying to breathe.

She noticed a door that looked like the door to the TARDIS on her right, simply labeled, 'The Doctor,' and panicked again, shutting the door and pulling at her cheeks in wide-eyed agitation. _She loved the Doctor and she did not know how to deal with that. What if he found out? What if he had heard her?_

"Lyssa? Are you all right? I felt you panic, and - "

Lyssa shrieked and fell over when he suddenly appeared right next to her. "Stop doing that!" she complained.

"Sorry." He leaned over to help her up, but as soon as their hands touched, Lyssa felt her cheeks explode with heat and dropped his hand like it was hot lava as she scrambled to her feet. His hand dropped back to his side and he tried not to look hurt.

It might've worked if she hadn't felt his little thread of blue wrapped around her leg that gave off a slight pulse of hurt, and she blushed even deeper when she saw her gold light wind around his legs in an attempt to comfort him.

"Sorry," she squeaked, wincing when her voice came out an octave higher than it normally was. "Sorry," she tried again, trying to lower it without much success. "I just - there was - and I - and then you - and I -" She stopped and buried her face in her hands with a groan. "Just leave me here to die," she moaned.

He chuckled, and the amused sound wreaked havoc with her newly-discovered emotions. "Are you feeling all right, Lyssa? You seem a little... confused."

"Just thinking about how much I love stuff," she squeaked out, trying to shove her brain back into working order. Her eyes widened as it suddenly went into overdrive and started to make things worse. "Like donuts! I love donuts!"

"Donuts. Right." He eyed her strangely. "Are you sure you're feeling all right?"

"Positive!" Her voice came out too high and too fast, and she was probably grinning like a madwoman in her attempt to appear sane. She was starting to think that it might have been kinder to leave her to the Teller.

"Just, you know, feeling really hungry for donuts right now. Wasn't really expecting it, and it just came out of nowhere, but now I want donuts. Really bad. Like, you know, we should probably leave immediately and go get donuts. Like, right now. No asking questions. I am too hungry to think straight."

The Doctor shook his head, but smiled. "All right. Donuts it is. Never let it be said I denied my fairy-girl what she wanted." His look suddenly changed to one of concern. "Lyssa? Why are you banging your head against the floor?"

* * *

 **A/N: In which I have way too much fun screwing with Lyssa in the ending. :D**

 **Anyways, I am so, so sorry that this is late. To make a long story short, I had a major allergic reaction on Sunday that left me down for the count until today. (Nothing dangerous, but I basically lost all higher brain function and became a zombie until I slept it off, lol) Hopefully this extra long chapter makes up for the wait.**

 **Clean up of loose ends should come next chapter along with the intro to the next episode. :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to ZaraSwann, Snafflefang, and Mikari Satsuke for reviewing!**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you liked it! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	56. Chapter 56 - The Donuts of Singledom

Thirty minutes later, Lyssa sat on the bench in the TARDIS, sulkily eating her donuts and trying to sort through her newly-returned memories. After restoring her memories, the Doctor had pulled her back to the normal world - though still obviously questioning her sanity - and set off to get the promised donuts.

Of course, the Ranger overheard them talking about food and got all excited, and that's the story of how everyone on board - including Psi and Saibra - ended up getting take-out, although Lyssa remained content with her glazed donuts.

"So why are you over here sulking?" Clara asked, dropping on the bench beside the girl and digging out some vegetables from her carton with a pair of chopsticks. "We're all still alive, and we got what we were apparently looking for. We've even got food. So why the long face?"

Lyssa looked down at the box of Krispy Kreme donuts in her lap and considered it. "Just... trying to sort through some of my old memories, I guess. Everything's a bit mixed up, and I'm trying to straighten them out." She purposefully didn't mention that a few of those memories revolved around Clarel's horrific death, and Adam's last words to her before she and the Doctor left him at his house.

"Okay, well," Clara pulled her legs up onto the bench and crossed them, nestling her carton in between. "I guess that sort of makes sense. You were sort of passed out for a lot of what happened at the end, and an impromptu nap has got to be disorienting."

"Yeah..." Lyssa's voice trailed as she stared at the box, a memory drifting back at the words and another, male, northern accent drawing her attention.

 _"The reason you were so disoriented at Satellite Five was because you took an impromptu nap. Your body just shut down," the Ninth Doctor told her._

 _"You mean that's why I woke up in Floor 500 all dizzy and stuff? I passed out? Why?"_

 _He sighed heavily. "Suki's death was a fixed point in time. You saved her life, and time got all bent out of shape. Since you have such a strong connection to time, you felt it first. That's why you got all dizzy and disoriented. And that's why Suki died when Rose didn't. If Suki hadn't died from the shocks, she would've been hit by some of the crashing ice._ _Or maybe the Jagrafess would've killed her._

 _"It's hard to say for sure, but time is flexible around fixed points as long as the end result is the same. You were just affected by it until time was restored because you're so connected to time, and you were right next to Suki at the time as well. That didn't help matters any."_

 _"Did you know?" Lyssa asked timidly._

 _"What, that her death was a fixed point? No. Well. Sort of. I knew she would have to die at some point, but I didn't know when, or how. I try not to make a habit of looking too deeply into people's personal timelines. That's why I didn't stop you when you saved her the first time."_

 _He rested a hand on her shoulder when she started to turn away sorrowfully. "It might not mean much to you, Lyssa, but at least she didn't die alone; and she didn't die for nothing. Her death was enough to galvanize Cathica into action, and Satellite Five will be cleaned up. No more Editor. No more lies."_

"Lyssa?" Another hand on her shoulder drew her back out of her thoughts, and she startled to see Clara looking at her with concern again.

She blushed. "Sorry. Just... what you said. It triggered one of the memories that I'd forgotten, from right before I came here, I think."

"Really?" Clara tilted her head to the side. "What were you doing, if I may ask?"

"Well," Lyssa tried to concentrate. "I was with the Ninth version of the Doctor. You know. Leather jacket, northern accent, big ears." She gestured with her hands, and Clara stifled a giggle. "We'd just escaped from an evil slug in a freezer, and the Doctor was explaining something to me. I had been feeling really... guilty... about some stuff, and he was trying to reassure me that it wasn't my fault, and then that topic came up, and then..."

She squinted, trying to think. "I think I jumped shortly after that. I ended up with him over there," she pointed a finger at the Doctor, talking animatedly with the Ranger, Psi, and Saibra, "trying to crash your date."

Clara smirked. "Now that, I remember. I think he felt lonely. Or bored. Probably bored, without any of us there to bug him. Poor Hatter, though. He'd been planning this date for months, and then the Doctor came along, and then you popped up, and then the phone rang, and the next thing you know, we're off to rob a bank. For good reason, though, apparently."

"Yeah." Lyssa chuckled. "The Doctor got to free the Teller and its mate, Psi got his memories back - which means he must have lost them, somehow, more than he already did? I'm a bit confused on that bit - and Saibra won't change anymore when she touches people."

"Psi deleted his memories of his family to protect them," Clara explained, digging out a vegetable and munching on it thoughtfully. "Hatter got something too," she pointed out after a minute. "I think you were still asleep for that bit."

"Really?" Lyssa asked curiously. "What was it?"

"I don't know," Clara pouted. "He wouldn't show it to me. Just hid it in his pocket and said he'd tell me later." She sullenly put a piece of chicken into her mouth, sticking out her bottom lip. "I've half a mind to nab it off him, see what it is. Should be easy enough. He's been sticking close ever since you woke up for some reason. Seemed a bit spooked."

"What if it's a present?" Lyssa offered, mind still focused on the first part and running over the various possibilities. "If he said he would show it to you later, then maybe he's waiting for the right moment. You don't want to spoil it for him if that's the case."

"No spoilers allowed on the TARDIS," the Ranger's playful voice interrupted them, coming up to stand behind Clara and peer down at her. "You all right there, Clar?"

She leaned her head back against his chest and pouted up at him again. "No. Someone's hiding secrets from me, and it's rude to hide secrets from people."

"Really?" He grinned innocently. "That's a shame," he commiserated, bending over to kiss her upside down before popping back up. "Who would dare do such a heinous thing?"

"This awful, awful, person," Clara complained, tilting her body further against him. "I don't know why he'd do such a thing."

"He must be insane to try and hide anything from you," the Ranger chuckled, running his hand through her hair. "I can truthfully say that I have a horrendous time trying to hide anything from you, especially when I'm trying to plan a surprise."

"Okay, nope." Lyssa put on a grumpy scowl when the startled couple turned to her, clearly having forgotten she was there. "You guys are disgustingly cute. Go be cutesy somewhere else and leave me to my donuts of singledom in peace. How am I supposed to enjoy all this sugar if you guys are already being saccharine sweet?"

"Donuts of singledom?" the Ranger stifled a laugh, pulling Clara up into a standing position and leaning her against his chest. "And saccharine sweet? Excuse you, we are healthily sweet. There's sweetness, sure, but there's a bit of bitterness, perhaps a hint of sourness, and just a touch of salt to balance it all out," he teased, wrapping his arms around Clara and resting his chin on her head.

Her annoyed expression said that he'd done it before, and that she only put up with this because she loved him. "So, really, it's a perfectly balanced relationship. Just ask me, I've got excellent taste. Take a look at my girlfriend if you don't believe me."

"Okay, now I know you're planning something," Clara accused him, wriggling out of his arms and eyeing him suspiciously. "What are you up to? Or..." she narrowed her eyes. "What have you done, and what do I need to do to cover it up?"

"No trust. No trust at all," the Ranger complained, pretending to sulk, flopping down onto Clara's old spot beside Lyssa. "I'm wounded, and now I need to sit down. And maybe eat to recover my strength," he added, stealing the carton out of Clara's hand and skillfully digging out a mouthful of food with her chopsticks.

The brunette looked indignant. "You already got food! Why are you stealing mine, now?"

"I'm a growing boy, and I need lots of food," the Ranger said with wide, innocent eyes and a child-like voice. "Also, you weren't eating it anymore. Feel free to sit by me and I'll gladly share with you."

"You'll share _my_ food with me, you mean," Clara groused. "Don't bother. I've got to talk to Psi anyways." She turned away with a flounce and strode over to Psi, quickly settling into eager conversation with him.

The Ranger watched her go with a fond grin, then winked at Lyssa when he caught her staring at him, digging out another mouthful before setting the carton aside.

She huffed. "I meant what I said, you know. You guys are disgustingly cute. I can't believe I somehow missed that the last time I saw you guys. Are you always this... this... fluffy?" She gestured wildly with her donut as she searched for a word before almost dropping it and hastily stuffing the donut in her mouth before she actually did drop it.

The Ranger sobered. "No. But I guess... Some of the events of today have been a pretty chilling reminder of how precious time spent together is."

Lyssa finished chewing as she considered him, noting the way one hand kept creeping to his pocket and fiddling with whatever was inside, and how his eyes kept flitting over to Clara, a strange tenseness to his shoulders that had settled there when Clara went out of reach.

She frowned. As far as she could recall, Clara hadn't ever really been in direct danger - except, no, there was that one time where the Teller almost caught her, but he hadn't been this tense then. Otherwise Clara hadn't been hurt at all. So why...?

And then she knew.

"Clarel. That's why you're so worried, isn't it?" The Ranger gave a pained half-smile, half-grimace. "Is it because she died, and she was an echo of Clara? It wasn't your fault, you know, and Clara's safe," she tried to reassure him, forcing her own memories of Clarel's unfortunate end out of her head.

The Ranger shrugged half-heartedly. "I know. And I know Clarel wasn't actually Clara. She was her own distinct person. And I never even actually got to meet her. But... the Director had these cameras on the holding cells. And... she was in one of them. I saw her before the Doctor managed to block my vision, and..."

He sighed, staring at the palms of his hands. "Like I said, I know she's not Clara. But at some point, Clara was her. And Clara felt that pain, Clara had to die like that, and I wasn't there to protect her. To protect you, so that neither of you were in that situation in the first place."

Lyssa raised her eyebrows. "That is a lot of guilt for one person to be feeling for something that was out of their control. You couldn't be with Clarel and I because you were with Clara."

The Ranger laughed bitterly. "Yeah, it runs in the family, I've heard. Both sides." He shook his head. "But that's not the point. The point is that I should've been there to protect you, and I wasn't. I'm sorry."

Lyssa blinked, not at all expecting the turn this conversation had taken. Where did she come into it? "Why are you sorry? You're not honor-bound to protect me or anything, you know. Neither is the Doctor. We'd all agreed to this, knowing what might happen, and that's on our own heads, whatever might have happened.

"We split up down there because we had to distract the Teller, and that was the only logical thing we could think of to do. We all went off on our own, and then I bumped into Clarel. What she decided to do was her decision. What happened to her was horrible, and should never have happened, but don't take away her right of choice."

The Ranger snorted. "You going to believe that first, or should I?"

"Sorry?"

The Ranger raised an eyebrow at her. "Something tells me I'm not the only one struggling with guilt here. I happen to know that the Teller latched onto you right after you watched her die, which points to a pretty strong indication of guilt."

Lyssa wrinkled her nose, not looking him in the eye as she swung her feet in the air in an attempt to distract herself. "I was in the middle of robbing a bank, and he was super close. Of course he latched onto me."

The Ranger hummed disbelievingly. "Just saying. If I shouldn't blame myself for Clarel's death, then neither should you. Like you said, she made her decision for herself. By the time you found her, it was already too late for her, and you didn't have any shredders/teleporters to give to her anyways. There was nothing you could have done except be there for her and promise to get the artifact to her people, which you did, and we're going to return the artifact as soon as we drop off Psi and Saibra, so you really did everything you could."

"Do you believe that?" she asked him dryly.

He looked away. "Believe it or not, Clara and I have had a conversation along this vein several times. I've even had a few with the Doctor. It hasn't really gotten any easier to stop blaming myself whenever something like this happens, but..." he sighed. "It's also gotten easier to accept that their choices are their own, and that I can't truly be held responsible for their decisions in the end." He shrugged. "I'm a work in progress."

Lyssa's mouth quirked up in an odd smile. "Aren't we all?" She looked down at the abandoned donut box in her hand. "How'd we even get on this topic anyways? I was over here, peacefully wallowing in my singledom, when you come swanning over here all adorable with Clara, and then suddenly we're confessing our apparently unearned guilt to each other. What's next, braiding each other's hair?"

"Nah, that's what we do on Friday nights," the Ranger told her seriously, his eyes beginning to dance with mischief. "We do have a schedule, you know. On Mondays we go bowling, Tuesdays we have date nights, Wednesdays we go off to save the universe either with or occasionally from the Doctor, Thursdays we all sit around and have tea and recover from Wednesdays, and on Fridays we braid each other's hair and tell secrets."

"What about the weekend?" Lyssa challenged him.

He smirked. "We try to keep an open schedule on the weekends. Who wants to live a life where everything is planned out for you? Not me, that's for sure. And not Clara, either. She's the adventurous sort." His eyes dimmed a bit. "Sometimes a bit too much." His eyes traveled the TARDIS until they found Clara again, now chatting with Saibra and laughing about something.

Lyssa watched him, half wondering, and half... something else. She didn't know what, though. "Work in progress, yeah?"

The Ranger shook his head and chuckled. "Basically, yeah. But, it's good. She's started to slow down and enjoy taking the slow road sometimes, and I'm starting to let go of, and I quote, 'my ridiculous guilt complex.'"

He made finger quotations along with the words as he said them, and rolled his eyes, but there was a distinct fondness to them that left Lyssa wondering if anyone would ever feel that way about her - so obviously in love. Then she remembered her earlier revelation and eeped, hastily stuffing a donut inside her mouth when the Ranger looked over at her.

He chuckled at her puffed out cheeks and stood up. "I'll leave you to your donuts of solitude-"

"-Singledom-"

"Donuts of solitude, but thanks for talking. It... helped."

The seriousness of his last comment dropped the teasing sentence from her mind. "Yeah. Me too," she admitted, rubbing her arm with one hand. "There was this... guy... before I jumped here, and he... said some things. Blamed me for some stuff that happened. Logically, I know that he was the one who chose to do what he did, even though I warned him against it, but I keep feeling like if I'd done more, then maybe I could've stopped it, since I knew what was supposed to happen."

"Did he blame you for your foreknowledge?" the Ranger's voice was tight, and she looked up to see him standing there tensely, carefully controlled anger visible in his eyes. She hesitated and his face visibly tightened. "What did he do?"

She tried to play it off. "It was nothing, really. Just... we were taking him on the TARDIS with us for a trip, and I gave him a few warnings about where we were going. Not much, I admit, but it basically amounted to: don't meddle with Earth history, and don't get a hole in your head. Guess what he did?"

"Got a hole in his head, then tried to meddle with history and blame it on you because you're obviously responsible for the actions of a grown man," the Ranger said dryly. "I've been there. One of the perks of our line of work, am I right?"

Lyssa chuckled. "I guess. Anyways, the Doctor quickly put him in his place, but it... it was an unpleasant thought to ponder. Come to think of it, I guess it's a good thing all my memories about that were blurry when I woke up in the bank. If I'd been feeling all that fresh guilt, I probably would have been a perfect target for the Teller."

"More than you already were," the Doctor's Scottish brogue broke in.

Lyssa's cheeks immediately went red, and she stuffed another bite of donut in her mouth, willing her mind to think anything but the condemning words she'd thought earlier. Her brain, ever helpful, complied and began to wonder if he'd heard her thoughts when she'd thought them instead.

"We're about to drop off Psi," the Doctor continued. "Now that he has his memory back, he remembers his family, and wants to see them again. So, first stop, the planet Glaucon!"

Lyssa hastened to secure her donut box before the TARDIS began to pitch about as the Doctor steered them towards Psi's home, landing with only a few bumps a moment later. Dropping the box on the seat and wiping off her hands, she stood up and held out her hand to the augmented human once Clara released him from her hug.

"Good luck, and I wish you the best with your family!" she told him, smiling when he accepted her hand.

"Thanks," he said before hesitating a little. "And - for what it's worth, I'm sorry. About what I said before. It wasn't your fault. And I'm sorry I implied it was."

She fumbled her way through an awkward acceptance before giving up and just nodding goodbye, smiling when she heard his happy exclamations as he was greeted by an excited yell as soon as he stepped out the door.

"Well, I guess that's my cue," Saibra said, looking at the Doctor.

He nodded, pulling a lever and sending them back into the vortex once more before landing them somewhere in England. "We're here," he announced with a flourish.

Saibra hugged him, then stepped back, a happy smile on her face. "See? I don't have your face now!"

The Doctor shrugged. "Yeah, I kind of miss it."

"Oh, shut up," she scoffed, whacking him on the arm before hugging the Ranger and Clara, grinning each time she kept her own appearance.

"Congratulations!" Lyssa told her as she stepped forward to hug the older woman. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you! Maybe I can go out and adopt that dog I've always been wanting now," Saibra commented, walking to the door and waving to them all before stepping out.

Once the door was shut behind her, Clara heaved a sigh and flopped onto the bench. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. Running in heels is awful," she complained, prying off her shoes and leaving them on the floor as the Doctor sent them off once more.

"I told you to change them," he said unsympathetically. "But don't rest yet. We have one more stop to make."

"We do?" Clara asked, sitting up, her face puzzled. "Where?"

"The Abjulni planet," he said, pulling the golden relic out of his pocket and waving it briefly before dropping it carefully back in. "Have to drop off this relic and deliver the bad news. Well, good and bad. Although..." he considered Clara.

"Maybe you'd better stay behind, Clara. I'm afraid things might get very awkward very quickly if you come with us. I'll just drop you and the Ranger off back home so you can continue with your date, then Lyssa and I can return it."

Clara wrinkled her nose. "I'm too tired to object. But I just ate, and I've been running for my life all day. I think going out for another meal would be counter-productive."

"That's okay. My plans for today were flexible," the Ranger assured her, dropping down beside her as the Doctor input new directions into the console and Lyssa tried to stand anywhere out of his line of sight. "We can stay at your apartment and watch the telly. And I've still got your surprise to give you too, you know."

"Works for me," Clara agreed immediately with a smirk, bouncing up from the chair once they had landed and hugging first the Doctor, then Lyssa. "See you around, Doctor, Lyssa. Don't rob any banks without me!"

"And thanks for the food," the Ranger added with a grin, following her out the door. "See ya 'round. And Lyssa, remember what I said," he added more seriously.

Lyssa shrugged awkwardly, feeling the Doctor's gaze land on her. "Work in progress, but I'll keep at it," she agreed.

The Ranger smiled. "That's all I ask." With one last wave to them both, he stepped out after Clara and shut the door behind them both.

"So." Lyssa clapped her hands together as soon as the door was shut, avoiding the Doctor's eyes. It was only awkward if you made it awkward, and she was _not_ going to make it awkward. All she had to do was get through returning the artifact, and then she could hide in her room or something and try to process the day. She just had to act normal, and he wouldn't suspect a thing.

"Artifact to return. Anything need to special know I?"

Aaaaaand she was doomed.

xXx

She managed to make it through the rest of the day without having to explain herself too much - mainly by keeping up a stream of steady, if not natural, questions about literally anything she could think about. The Doctor was growing steadily more concerned, but seemed to drop the matter once they arrived at the Abjulni planet, both of them distracted by their important mission.

The nobles who greeted them seemed unsurprised at their visit, accepting the news of their queen's death with only a quiet solemnity and a nod of their head. They did invite them to participate in the funeral ritual for her as they prepared to open the artifact, and it was lovely, if a bit heart-wrenching.

All in all, Lyssa was more than ready for a nap by the time she stumbled back into the TARDIS behind the Doctor, yawning and rubbing her eyes despite her "impromptu nap" earlier. The Doctor noticed, and hesitated before seeming to come to a decision.

"Lyssa, why don't you head to your room and take a nap? You slept for less than an hour earlier, and that wasn't truly restful. The rest will do you good."

She nodded wearily, too tired to even bother blushing as she had been for the last hour and a half. "Kay. See you in a bit," she mumbled, staggering straight to her room and falling onto the bed with a flop, shoving her face into the pillow and quickly dropping off, her last coherent thought quickly flitting through: _At least today can't get any worse..._

xXx

And then she woke up on the floor, face to face with a large, very angry looking chicken looming over her. She glared at it with sleepy eyes, sure that somewhere there was an alien that feasted on karma who was responsible for this.

"I should have known," she groaned, rolling to the side as the chicken let out an angry squawk and dove for her.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm going to have fun watching you guys try and guess what episode that ending might be from. :D**

 **I know not a lot happened here action wise, but considering everything that's happened in the past few chapters, the guilt was something that needed to be dealt with, even if it was only just acknowledged. Next chapter will (obviously) pick up the pace a little more.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Mikari Satsuke,, yellowroseofthenw, RedtheWolf2, and brmngirl for reviewing! (And responses to last weeks reviews will be included in this one because I never got around to including them in the last chapter. :P)**

 ** _ZaraSwann: Nope. Neither the mystery man nor woman are their child. As for Time Lords... *shrugs* Idk. It's complicated. ;) As for Jenny the Doctor's daughter, yes, I will be including her (although she's not the mystery woman either, sorry). Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _snafflefang: Yay! I'm glad you like it! :) New chapter is (finally :P) up. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Mikari Satsuke: Aww, your review was so nice it almost made me cry. :') I did miss my usual update day because of a major allergy attack. :P (I will never be allowed to have a dog now, and that's so sad. :'( ) And don't worry! you weren't pressuring me to update at all. Thanks for the concern! Hahaha, and no, unfortunately Ranger is not the mystery man. Good guess, though! Thanks for an awesome review, and I hope you liked it!_**

 ** _yellowroseofthenw: Yay! Aww, I'm so glad you like it enough to read it all the way through I'm going to cry. Thank you for reviewing! Hope you like it. :)_**

 ** _RedtheWolf2: Haha, thanks for the follow and fave. :D As for the 13th Doctor, that's a complicated answer. I've only seen up through Season 9, so I won't be including anything past that from the show. Anything I write past that, will all be me. Also, I never really wanted a female Doctor for various reasons, so I probably wouldn't write her in anyways (although I'm sure she's played by a talented actress). I have, however, actually made plans for a 13th Doctor of my own - and he's actually already popped up in at least one previous chapter (not saying how many more). Hope that makes sense. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _brmngirl: Aww, yay. I'm glad you liked it! :D_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you liked it! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa**


	57. Chapter 57 - Nightmare Hotel

"You know what, I have had a really long day today, and I _really_ don't need to be dealing with this right now," Lyssa complained with a glare as she sprang to her feet and stumbled back from the chicken, which towered a good two feet over her even when she was standing.

"And why is this a thing?" she shouted angrily, ducking under it and rolling away when it lunged for her, squawking angrily. She found the bed in the room when she smacked her forehead against one of its legs and rolled back with a groan, crawling between the chicken's legs with a grimace.

Spotting a door against the far wall of pale pink floral wallpaper that looked like it might lead to escape, she darted towards it, only to get thumped on the head with one of the chicken's enlarged wings. The sheer weight of it sent her tumbling to the floor again, and she hit the floor with a groan, only just managing to avoid getting pecked with a beak that looked more like a knife. Crying out in protest, she rolled away desperately and felt something sharp slice along her bicep, leaving a hot, stinging trail in its wake.

Panicking, she flailed her arms about wildly and whacked one of her arms against a nightstand knocking a book off, which fell to the floor, just missing her head. Resisting the instinct to rub her wrist, she picked up the book and flung it at the bird's head, distracting it enough that she was able to pick herself up and run to the door, throw it open, dart through, and shut the door firmly behind her with a slam.

Spinning around to face the door, she watched it warily, not quite doubting the ability of the bird to gain the ability to open a doorknob - or simply peck its way through the door. When a minute had passed with no sign of the fowl, she relaxed minutely and slumped against the far wall, sliding down to the floor and catching her breath. Letting her face fall into her hands, she groaned.

"What did I do to deserve this?" she whimpered, wincing when her fingers brushed against a tender spot on her forehead. Pulling her hand back to check for blood, she found an angry red mark developing on her wrist instead, and a small dribble of blood staining her left sleeve from a thin cut. "Of freaking course," she grumbled. "Who needs a day off when you can get assaulted by angry chickens that never stopped growing? Who GROWS chickens that never stop growing? Where even am I?"

Stopping herself before she could grow too upset, she pushed herself back to her feet, noticing the carpet was red with gold patterns, and there was more of the pale pink wallpaper and bright wall lights along the hallway she was in, with low beams decorating the ceiling, scratch marks etched through them. It seemed to be a hotel of sorts, if a very retro one, with numbered doors lining both sides.

She nodded grumpily. "Of course I jumped to a retro hotel room with a giant angry chicken. Why wouldn't I? Who doesn't keep giant angry chickens in their hotel rooms?" She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "WHO KEEPS GIANT CHICKENS IN THEIR HOTEL ROOMS? WHY IS THAT A THING?"

As she expected, no one answered her, although her cry seemed to echo down the hallway until it abruptly... stopped.

"Okay, that was a bit creepy," she mumbled, unnerved.

Picking a stray feather out of her hair and clutching her snowflake charm for comfort, she walked down the hallway, occasionally calling out to see if anyone was there. No one ever answered her. It seemed that wherever she was, she was alone. Biting her lip nervously, she went up to one of the doors and rapped her knuckles against it three times.

It knocked back.

She jumped. "Hello?" she called timidly.

There was no answer.

Wondering if she'd just been hearing things, she tapped on the door once more.

It knocked back again.

"Hello? Is anyone there? If this is a joke, it's not very funny," she said loudly, her hand hovering over the doorknob. When there was still no answer, she stretched her fingers out over the knob, but hesitated. "Maybe it was just an echo," she told herself, trying to believe it. "Now stop being silly and keep moving. There's got to be a reception area somewhere, just keep looking."

Moving away from the door, she sped up her pace and continued her way down the hallway, resolutely refusing to look behind her when she heard a door creak. "It's just the hotel settling," she told herself, closing her eyes and moving even faster, breathing a sigh of relief when she reached the stairwell. Going down, she stopped at the next floor and opened the door to the hallway, starting to smile when she saw people.

Standing halfway down the hallway were two identical little girls, their hair slightly curled and held back on one side with a pin. They wore identical blue dresses tied with pink ribbons, had their hands clasped tight, and both tilted their head to the right when they saw her, the light from the open door on their left shining on them.

"Hello," they said in unison, smiling at her.

"Nope," Lyssa said immediately, dropping her smile and, keeping her eyes on the girls at all times, slowly reached out and shut the door until she was firmly behind it. "Nope." She turned and headed down the next set of stairs. "Nope. Not today!" she declared, a faint hint of hysteria tinging her voice.

"Angry chickens and creepy girls, what next? She reached the next floor and opened the door, annoying instrumental music immediately filling her ears. "Ugh. Elevator music. Still, it's not as bad as the rest, so... I guess it can't be that awful? I'm totally going to regret saying that, aren't I? I can feel it already."

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the stairwell and into the hallway, looking around cautiously. There was still no sign of any other living people, aside from the creepy girls upstairs, and she got the strangest feeling that they weren't really people. She shuddered.

"Ugh. Where's the Doctor when you need him? Of course he'd be late, he's always late." Rolling her eyes at herself, she clutched at her necklace once more for comfort and stepped down that hallway. "What's that saying? Once more unto the breach? It almost works here. Once more unto the hotel? I don't know, I don't know what I'm saying anymore, this has just been the most awful day, I literally can't even deal anymore. Why can't I just..."

She trailed off, her eyes catching on door number 11. There was something about it that just... seemed to draw her attention. Something was behind that door, and if she just opened it, she would find out. As if in a trance, she walked slowly towards the door, hand reaching out to trace the numbers before dropping to the doorknob. She started to turn it, hearing the lock click as she did so, but hesitated when she heard a low growling sound, and a clattering on the stairs coming down.

She turned back to the door, but a loud thump and another low growl decided it for her, and she stepped back, glancing upwards in fear. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. Darting away - though not without a longing glance back at the door - she ran further down the hallway, clapping a hand over her mouth when she heard the commotion sound at the end of the hallway, coupled with the loud voice of a British man that sounded... not exactly sane.

It was all too much for her, and she flung open the nearest door and threw herself in, facing the door and shutting it quietly, hoping that whoever - or whatever - was out there wouldn't hear anything and would just leave her alone. Sighing in relief when there was no sign of alarm from whatever was out there, she turned around and immediately walked face-first into a large spiderweb that was spread across the room.

Unable to stop a scream, she flailed about wildly, only serving to get more of the sticky stuff on her as she fought to free herself. Seeing something large and black dart across the far wall - something very large, very fast, and with multiple legs - she only screamed harder and fell back against the door, frantically reaching upwards to the doorknob and struggling to turn it.

Hearing footsteps pounding outside, she came to the prompt decision that she'd rather take whatever creature may be outside rather than deal with the spiders, and managed to twist it open with shaking hands and practically fall out the door.

Half blind with tears and terror, she barely remembered to pull the door shut before turning and taking off down the hallway, only to run straight into something hard and firm that grabbed her around the arms and held her there.

If she'd been a little calmer, she could have easily escaped. But as it was, her vision was too blurry, and she was too panicked, to make out what they were saying or who they were as more blurry faces surrounded her.

Starting to struggle wildly, she fought against their hold, kicking wildly until they released her, where she stumbled back against the wall and promptly fell down, burying her sticky hands in her hair and cringing when she felt even more web residue there. Her chest heaving in great gasps, she still fought to take in air as sobs choked her throat.

Something brushed against her shoulder, and she screamed, trying pathetically to crawl backwards as more sobs ripped through her, weakening her attempts to get away. She ended up huddled against the wall, eyes shut tight against the monster that waited for her, heart pounding like mad in her ears.

They didn't touch her again, though she could sense their presence hovering nearby, watchful and waiting. After several minutes of frantically gulping down air, she managed to concentrate enough to realize that someone was talking in a low, soothing voice. When they realized that she was paying attention to them, the voice switched from random conversation to a more specific vein in a female voice, also British.

"You're going to be all right. You're safe now, there's no one but us here right now, no one's going to hurt you, you're going to get through this. I just need you to breathe for me, can you remember to do that for me?"

Gulping down another sob, Lyssa nodded, drawing in a shaky breath, then another, then another.

"Good!" the voice praised. "Now, do you think you can tell me five things you know? They don't have to be big things," they continued when Lyssa didn't respond right away. "It can just be simple, little things. Like what's your name? Can you tell me your name?"

"My name - my name is L-Lyssa," she whispered unsteadily. "I'm, uh, twenty-one years old, I think. My favorite color is, is purple. I, um..." she strained hard to think, feeling as though her head had suddenly been stuffed with cotton. "I don't like fish fingers and custard, and, and..." her fingers rose up to clutch her snowflake charm again so hard that the tips dug into her palm. "The Doctor gave me this necklace."

"Sounds like a nice guy, it's a very pretty necklace," the unseen woman complimented. "You're doing great, Lyssa. Do you think you could do me a favor and tell me four things you can hear?"

"Hear? I don't..." Lyssa struggled to hear past the roaring in her ears. "Uh... I can - I can hear myself b-breathing. I can hear your voice. Uh..." She sniffed, wiping at her drippy nose before trying to listen again. "I can hear the m-music, and... running water?"

"Great job!" the voice praised her. "Can you open your eyes for me?"

Lyssa shook her head immediately, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter as soon as she heard the words. Sure, the voice was kind right now. But who knew what she'd see if she opened her eyes?

"All right, that's fine," the voice soothed her. "You're not ready yet, that's okay. Can you tell me three things you can feel instead?"

Lyssa nodded reluctantly, keeping one hand over her necklace and stretching the other out on her pants. "My snowflake charm, my pants - they're nice material, I had to dress up today. And, um..." Carefully, she reached her hand out to the floor, coming into contact with a slightly fuzzy material. "I think this is the carpet. It's kind of scratchy and fuzzy."

"Great! Almost done, can you tell me two things you can smell?"

Lyssa frowned, wiping her nose again before sniffing the air - hardly even noticing that she drew a steady breath to do so. A faintly sweet smell reached her nose, and beyond that, a less pleasant odor that made her wrinkle her nose. "Someone's wearing perfume, and... sweat?"

There was a muffled apology from a male voice.

"That's great, you're doing great, one more thing. Can you tell me one thing you can see? Just one?"

Lyssa hesitated, but... if it was just one thing... and if they were something evil, they would have attacked by now. She hesitantly pried first one eye open, then, when nothing happened, the other. Blinking to clear the blur, she looked to her right and saw a young woman in pale blue scrubs with dark skin and straight black hair smiling at her.

"I see... you?" she asked cautiously.

The woman nodded. "My name is Rita. I'm a nurse."

Lyssa blinked. "Oh. I'm Lyssa. I'm a... traveler, I guess."

"Nice to meet you, Lyssa," Rita greeted her. "Would you like to meet some of my friends?"

Still half uncertain, Lyssa nodded hesitantly, looking beyond her to see a teenaged boy with curly hair and glasses, and a strange looking man - possibly alien - beside them, with close-cut white hair, a black suit, rodent-like front teeth, and small pointed ears.

"That's Howie over there with the glasses," Rita introduced, the teenager waving nervously, "And that's Gibbis in the suit."

"At your service, we are easily conquered for all your oppressive needs," the man - alien? - said with a bow.

Lyssa frowned uncertainly. "Okay. Um... nice to meet you?"

"He does that a lot," Howie offered. "Just ignore it. That's what we've learned to do."

"Right," she said slowly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. "Um... do any of you mind - where am I? What kind of place is this? Nightmare hotel?"

"Basically... yes, actually," Rita answered her gently. "The rooms are all filled with someone's bad dreams. I'm assuming you found yours?"

Lyssa shuddered, trying to wipe off some of the webs still on her hands. "Yes. Well. I don't know, actually. I mean, spiders are definitely my idea of a bad dream, but do you mean bad dream, or do you mean like, _the_ bad dream which haunts your actual dreams, because then I think that might belong to the Cybermen at Canary Wharf, and now I'm rambling, shutting up now." Lyssa shut her mouth with an audible clop, making Rita laugh.

"Well, maybe it's not your room, then. You know when it's your room. You just... feel drawn to it." Lyssa's eyes wandered down the hallway to door 11, where, if she concentrated, she could still feel the pull drawing at her. Rita's gaze sharpened. "You've found it, haven't you?" Lyssa nodded. "Have you... gone inside?"

Lyssa shook her head. "I was about to, when I heard you guys coming downstairs. And this... growl thing. It scared me. So I went and hid in the room, and - " she shuddered, her heart rate increasing. "It was filled with spiderwebs, and there was this giant spider in there, I know it! I could see it in the corner of my eye! And now I have spiderwebs in my hair, and on my clothes, and, and, and -"

"Hey, hey, it's all right. You're safe now. You're not in that room, anymore," Rita comforted her, pulling a comb out of her pocket. "Do you want to comb out your hair? It'll probably make you feel better to get it a bit under control."

Lyssa took it gratefully with a wan smile. After all the events of the day, it was nice to have something - even as small as her hair - under her control. It was slow going, and she repeatedly had to comb out tangles and knots, and she was pretty sure she saw more than a few feathers fall to the floor, but eventually almost all of her hair was combed out. She was just about to finish up when they heard another loud clattering on the stairs, and they all tensed.

"They're heading towards the reception area," Rita whispered after a moment. She looked Lyssa over, then stood to her feet. "I don't think you should be moving yet, Lyssa. You stay here and rest up, we'll try and draw the attention of whoever it is away. Maybe it's whoever brought us here, or maybe it's someone else who got stuck here, just like us."

"Uh, not to be a bother, but perhaps someone should stay with Lyssa to look after her," Gibbis spoke up nervously. "After all, if she shouldn't be moving, then shouldn't someone stay behind to make sure she is capable of escaping, should the need arise?"

Rita considered the question, then nodded, a smile playing at her lips. "Good point, Gibbis. Howie, you stay here with her. Gibbis, you're with me. If we end up trapped, I could use your attentiveness to escape routes to get away." Not allowing any protests, she marched away, and Gibbis followed her with a look of defeat on his face.

"So, uh... how long have you been here?" Lyssa asked quietly once she and Howie were alone in the hallway.

"About two days. Give or take. We found each other after several hours of wandering, and have been trying to stick together for the most part. Joe - he's not here - got separated once, on a completely different floor, and we couldn't find him until this morning. He'd... found his room, and was already deteriorating. What about you?"

Lyssa wrinkled her nose. "I don't know. Maybe an hour? I woke up in a room with this giant chicken standing over me. I'm not joking when I say it tried to kill me," she added, twisting her arm to show the blood staining her sleeve, and the bruise on her wrist.

"I finally got away when I threw a book at its head and distracted it. Then... I kind of wandered through the hotel until found that stupid room, and had a freaking panic attack, which just makes me feel even more stupid..." She dropped the comb in her lap and let her head thud tiredly against the wall.

"It's not stupid, you know," Howie said after a minute.

"What isn't?" she asked him tiredly, only half paying attention.

"Having a panic attack. It's not stupid. The whole point of this hotel is to scare us. It's not your fault that it happened. You actually got over the panic attack really quickly. I've... I've had some before, and it can take a lot to get over them." He looked down. "And over something much less scary than spiders. I guess... just don't blame yourself too much."

Lyssa smiled at the young man. She still thought she could have handled herself better - what if there really had been a monster out there? - but she was grateful for his kind words, if nothing else.

A bell dinged from the direction Rita and Gibbis had gone, followed by shouting. After a minute, distinguished from all the chaos, arose Gibbis' voice.

"We surrender!"

Howie groaned and smacked his face into his hand.

* * *

 **A/N: In which Lyssa gets in a chicken fight and summarily loses, and** **just cannot catch a break. All well. It's not like there's anything major coming up that would require her to be mentally strong... *checks upcoming episodes* Oh, wait. Shoot. Um... this is awkward...**

 **And if you really know your canon for this particular episode, then one thing should stand out to you as suspicious... (And no, it's not the chicken)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to afionna262, Mikari Satsuke, brmngirl, and LilactheDryad for reviewing!**

 ** _afionna262: Yay! I'm glad you liked it! Lyssa will unfortunately most likely be an awkward turtle for a while until she figures herself out, but it hopefully won't be too bad. ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)_**

 ** _Mikari Satsuke: Haha, I will say that my version of the 13th Doctor has made an appearance at least once already... But if you want to know if your guess is correct... I'll need a guess for the Mystery woman as well. Then I'll send you a pm with how close you got. ;D Haha, and good guess with Casanova, but nope! I may include him later on. Hmm... Hahaha that's okay. I'm a pudding brain too. We can be pudding brains together! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _brmngirl: That's okay, I wasn't very clear with my description of a giant chicken, lol. I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed! :D_**

 ** _LilactheDryad: Aw, I'm honored that you're willing to try my story. Here's hoping you enjoy it! :)_**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa**


	58. Chapter 58 - The God Complex, Part 1

"So, um... does he surrender to every loud noise he hears?" Lyssa asked quietly, sending a bemused glance in the direction of voices. It got very loud for a minute, as several people seemed to start talking at once before lowering again.

Howie shrugged, tugging his open jacket a bit tighter around his shoulders. "Sort of? Any time he thinks there's someone around, he immediately offers his complete servitude. It gets a bit old after a while, honestly. He did the same thing when he and I first met. Don't really know why."

"It's almost like he's got this... need to surrender," Lyssa said thoughtfully, frowning when the phrase struck a chord in her memory, but her mind was still too clouded for her to bother chasing it down. "Do you think it's more people who got trapped here?"

"It could be," Howie agreed. "The yelling has stopped, so I don't think there's any immediate danger. It's hard to say for sure, though. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to our arrivals, most likely to keep us confused and in the dark."

"Well, it's working," Lyssa grumbled, running Rita's comb through her hair once more to distract herself. "All that's left to complete it is for one of us to walk into a room that's completely dark and get locked in." She wrinkled her nose and sighed. "I'm not normally scared of the dark. But after the day I've had... I just want to be back in the TARDIS. Maybe in the library, with a cup of hot chocolate, and the Doctor and I can finally finish the Agatha Christie book we were working on."

"That's the second time you've mentioned this 'Doctor' fellow. Is he your husband, or something? And what's a TARDIS?" Howie asked curiously, pushing his glasses back up his nose with one finger.

Lyssa's cheeks immediately began to burn, and she mentally begged for them to lose their color again, all to no avail. "No! Of course not," she denied immediately, laughing a little too hysterically and hoping it could be passed off as leftover hysteria from her panic attack.

"Why would you think - no, definitely nothing like that. He's just my friend - my best friend, he has a thing for situations like these, he's very good at pretending he knows what's going on and what to do, and I kind of wish he were here because that would mean that we have a much higher chance of getting out of here, and the TARDIS is where we live - not together, mind you, it's like this place only different but - yeah, basically it's complicated." She finally stopped to take a breath, grinning sheepishly when Howie looked taken aback.

"I see," he said after a moment, very clearly not seeing.

She laughed nervously. "It's complicated," she explained again.

"Say no more," he held up a hand. "I understand."

The elevator music that had become part of the background suddenly switched off, and both of them started, looking around nervously for any potential threats.

"So... what were you doing when you ended up here?" Lyssa asked after a tense minute. "I think I was asleep, and just woke up here."

"Oh. That. I was blogging," he answered, running a hand through his curls. "I'd just found out some evidence that the CIA was behind the attempted kidnapping of the president a few years ago. I was going to write about it, and I guess they found out before I could post it, because here I am. I must have become too much of a threat," he concluded, eyes darting about worriedly.

The music switched back on again, suddenly sounding more ominous than annoying, both of them casting worried looks down the hallway towards it.

"Right, then. I don't think we should stay here," Howie muttered. "Do you think you can stand up?" he asked, pushing himself to his feet and offering her a hand.

"I think I'd better be able to," she said, biting her lip and glancing down the hallway once more. Wrapping her hand around her charm once more, she accepted Howie's hand and let him pull her up, groaning when her legs protested the action. "Should we go after them, or...?"

"Lyssa! Lyssa, where are you?" the cry came from a new voice, making them both freeze, though Lyssa relaxed when she realized she recognized the voice. A few seconds later, the sound of pounding feet was followed by the appearance of the Eleventh Doctor, complete with dorky bow tie and worried face as he charged down the hallway towards them.

Despite herself, Lyssa felt a relieved smile spread across her face as he grew closer, already feeling calmer just by seeing him. Letting go of Howie, she flung herself into his arms when he grew close enough, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around him. His arms closed around her, and she breathed out a sigh of relief as she finally felt truly safe for the first time since she had arrived.

"Lyssa, are you all right? The woman back there, Rita, she said you'd been hurt, that you'd had a panic attack." She could tell that his face was angled towards her, but she didn't want to move at all from her place of security, instead nestling deeper into his shirt as his hands automatically began to rub her back.

"Better now that you're here," she mumbled honestly, not having the energy to prevaricate at the moment. "What do you know about this place?"

If he was surprised by the question, he didn't show it. "It's a hotel. The doors and windows are fake, meaning escape is impossible at the moment. The walls shift about, meaning it's easy to get lost. And, apparently, the rooms are filled with bad dreams." He shifted his hold on her, arms slowing to a stop. "Is that... is that why you had a panic attack? Because you found your room?"

"No. Yes. No. I don't know anymore," she complained. "I found lots of rooms, heard a monster, and decided to hide. I made a horrible choice, regretted it immediately, and then they found me, and then you found me. Where's the TARDIS? How'd you get here?"

"The TARDIS is gone," he told her regretfully. "We were drawn off course by something, presumably whatever is responsible for the TARDIS going missing. Now, what happened? The panic attack - what happened there? And are you physically hurt as well?" He tugged her away from his chest to scan her, frowning when he saw the blood on her sleeve. "Your arm! What happened to it?"

She blushed under his gaze, wincing when his fingers grazed the cut. "Would you believe me if I said it was a giant chicken?"

He stopped in his examination, face rising to stare at her in bemusement. "What?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah, that was what I said, too," she said dryly. "Woke up in a hotel room with a giant angry chicken standing over me. Don't know why, or how, but there it was. As you can tell, it got in a few good pecks before I managed to escape, then eventually ended up in a room full of spiders. Walked straight into a massive spiderweb, and I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of the spinner."

She shuddered, trying and failing to avoid thinking of the massive arachnid she had seen. "I got the heck out of Dodge, deciding to take the monster over the spiders, but..." she shrugged unhappily. "I felt like I was still trapped in there, trying to get out of the webs while there were spiders crawling all over me. Not my best moment. Might as well have had a relapse to the whole Canary Wharf thing. Had another stupid panic attack, could have gotten myself killed if the monster had been close by."

"Hey." The Doctor grasped her shoulders firmly and waited until she looked him in the eyes. "It's not stupid, and it's not your fault. Millions of people would have reacted the exact same way to a situation like that, or worse. If there's anyone to blame, it's whoever created this place. They're deliberately forcing people to come face to face with their worst fears. That's all on them, not you. You're not weak, and you're not stupid. It's a completely understandable reaction, especially given that you had already been attacked today. Got it?"

Her eyes dropped, and she rubbed her injured arm uncomfortably. "Fine. How about we find whoever made this place then, so that we can get out of here?"

"That's an excellent plan, but I'm going to look you over and take care of a few things first," he informed her. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he turned it on and ran it over her arm until the cut had faded to a thin line, before informing her that that was as much as he could do with the sonic.

He then proceeded to scan the rest of her, before doing the same to the bruise on her wrist and forehead and offering her a small peppermint, telling her it would help complete the healing process and give her some energy.

"Sorry to interrupt, but... what happened to Lyssa?" A new male voice broke into the conversation, and Lyssa turned with a smile to see Rory and Amy standing awkwardly behind the Doctor.

"Rory! Amy!" she exclaimed happily, waving at them from behind the Doctor. "It's been a while since I've seen you last! Although I think it's been longer for Rory than Amy."

"Ah yes. Should we match up, then, fairy-girl?" the Doctor asked her easily, slipping the sonic back into his pocket. "I'm going to hazard a guess and say my future, as I don't remember seeing you wearing these clothes before."

"That's probably because I'm going to burn them as soon as I get the chance," Lyssa muttered, glancing down at the cobwebs scattered around her black pantsuit with a grimace. "And yes. Future. Far future. Before that, I think it was... Satellite Five? With Adam? Sorry, memories are still a bit blurry. Um... I think the last time I saw you and Amy was..."

She tilted her head as she tried to think. "Daleks? With Churchill? And then the last time I saw Rory was with the Siren." The Doctor tensed at her words, and she hastened to clarify them. "The Siren who was actually a doctor, or whatever. Some medical program on a pirate ship."

The trio nodded in comprehension, but they were the only ones.

"Sorry, I'm not going to pretend I followed all of that - in fact, I don't think I understood most of it, but we should really probably keep going," Rita interrupted, Gibbis standing nervously behind her. "We need to get back to Joe."

"Joe. Yes. You mentioned him before," the Doctor agreed, spinning around to face her and draping an arm around Lyssa's shoulders. "You said he was tied up. What's he doing?"

"No, I mean... he's actually tied up," Rita explained awkwardly. "He's in the dining room."

xXx

Five minutes later, they were all entering the hotel dining room. It had the same theme as the others, but seated at every table was a ventriloquist dummy, identical to all the others. They were all laughing eerily, heads bobbing as their heads turned to the open door.

A man in a business suit sat tied to one of the chairs next to a dummy, laughing along with them. They all stopped laughing as soon as the Doctor entered the room, the others following slowly behind him.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said cautiously.

Joe smiled dreamily. "You're going to die here."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Well, they certainly didn't mention that in the brochure. Is Joe there? Can I have a quick word?" he asked, taking a seat opposite the madman.

"Oh, it's still me, Doctor, but I've seen the light," Joe assured him. "I lived a blasphemous life, but he has forgiven my inconstancy, and soon... he shall feast."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Right. Well, you've been here two days already. What's he waiting for?"

"We weren't ready. We were still raw," Joe explained, still in that dreamy tone of voice.

Lyssa shuddered and stepped closer to Amy and Rory as the Doctor continued his interrogation. "But now you're, what? Cooked?"

"If you like," Joe said complacently. "Soon you will be, too. Be patient. First... find your room."

"My... room?" the Doctor asked slowly.

"There's a room here for everyone, Doctor" Joe assured him. "Even you."

Lyssa flinched, and his eyes swung to her, his grin becoming slightly more manic. "You've found it, haven't you? Your room?"

Lyssa shrunk in on herself as everyone turned to her with worried eyes. "I haven't gone inside."

"But you've seen it, haven't you?" Joe pressed. "Felt the urge to go inside. And when you finally do..." he smiled blissfully. "You finally understand. Everything becomes so much more clear."

"You said you'd seen the light," the Doctor interrupted, watching Joe with narrowed eyes.

Joe nodded eagerly. "Nothing else matters anymore. Only him. It's like these things. I used to hate them! They make me laugh now." He laughed. "Gottle o' geer! Gottle o' geer!" He laughed again, the creep factor upping when the dummies all opened their mouths and joined him. "You should go. He'll be here soon."

The Doctor gave him a thin smile before standing up. Joining the group, he turned to Howie and Rory. "Can you two look for a hand dolley? I think Joe needs to come with us for our little trip." He waited until the two had moved further into the room before turning to Lyssa with worried eyes. "You said you'd found your room."

Lyssa crossed her arms uncomfortably and stared down at the floor. "I didn't go inside, if that's what you're asking. I meant what I said."

"But that's not what I was asking," he said gently. "What did you feel? How did you know it was your room?"

She frowned. "I don't know. I guess I just... There was something about it that just seemed to draw my attention. I knew something was behind it, and to find out what it was, all I had to do was open it. I was going to. Had my hand on the handle and everything. Then I heard the monster growl again, and took off. I really didn't want to, though. Almost turned back, in fact, until I heard the others and got worried again. I hid in a random room, and we all know how well that turned out." She rolled her eyes.

The Doctor frowned thoughtfully, not losing his train of focus when Rory and Howie came back with a dolley. Sliding the dolley under Joe's chair, he tilted it back and wheeled Joe towards the door. "I think you should come with me," he told the man quietly.

xXx

After several tense minutes - not at all helped by Joe's occasional outbursts into laughter - they were back in Reception, the elevator music still going strong as they gather around the counter.

"Why you four?" the Doctor complained. "That's what I don't understand. Aside from all the other things I don't understand," he added, shutting off the music.

"What does it matter?" Gibbis protested. "Sooner or later, someone will come along and rescue us. Or enslave us."

"First, we find the TARDIS," the Doctor decided, ignoring him. "Quick thing before we go. If you feel drawn to a particular room, do not go in, and make sure someone else can see you at all times."

Rita held up a hand. "Joe said 'he' will feast. And Lyssa mentioned something about a growl. Is there something here with us?"

Joe laughed.

"Something to add, Joe?" the Doctor asked in a cool voice.

Joe smiled and began to sing. "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop, chop, chop, chop." He burst into laughter once more.

"Can we do something about him?" Howie complained, opening up a drawer behind the desk and searching through its contents.

"Would this help?" Rita smiled, holding up a roll of duct tape.

xXx

With Joe safely duct taped and on his trolley once more, they made their way to an intersection splitting into two hallways, Lyssa falling back to the end of the group. Casting a nervous look over her shoulder for any sign of someone following them, she slowed to a stop when her eyes fell on the middle section of the opposite hallway.

She knew the group had taken the other hallway, but something about this one just felt... right. Too focused on her goal to bother calling out to them, she stepped cautiously into the hallway, the feeling of rightness growing stronger with every step. At last she came to door number 11 and stopped before it. The feeling was there again, urging her - compelling her - to open the door and find out what was inside.

Placing a hand on the doorknob, her heart nearly beating out of her chest, she twisted the knob and pushed the door open, stepping inside.

The War Doctor glanced over his shoulder at her briefly before shaking his head in sadness, tears falling down his cheeks. "No more of these illusions. No more," he said softly, turning away from her and back to the room's other occupant.

Lyssa studied the figure for a moment, brow furrowing in confusion as she saw familiar aspects in the woman - more than familiar, in fact. Though she had mostly gold locks, there was a hint of her shade of brown hidden underneath, and the eyes and cheekbones were so similar to hers they might as well have been hers.

They were the same height and body structure as well, although there was a coldness in her semi-clone's eyes and face that sent chills down her spine. A hint of silver flashed at the top of her tunic, stained with blood that didn't seem to be hers.

"No more of this, please," the War Doctor begged the woman. "It doesn't have to be this way. Lyssa..."

The woman laughed harshly, and very sound made Lyssa jolt. It was her laugh, though colder than she had ever been. "Lyssa's gone. Just me, now. And it's all thanks to you. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that it's your fault. I am literally only here because of you."

The War Doctor flinched, shaking his head desperately. "No. I refuse to believe that Lyssa is gone. She'd never give in like that."

The woman shrugged uncaringly. "Deny it all you like. It's still the truth. With you so focused on the war, you never even noticed what they were doing. And now Lyssa's gone, and I'm here." Her form flickered. "Well, not really. I don't actually want to meet you in person yet. There's a bit more destruction I want to do. I hear there's an orphanage close by. Victims of the war, as I understand it. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to them."

"Don't do this," the War Doctor begged her. "Please. Don't make me fight you."

The woman smirked, pulling back her sleeve to reveal a vortex manipulator. "But you won't. So what does it matter?" She toyed with the buttons, teasing him. "Do you like the upgrades I made? I can slow down time now so that people feel what I do to them longer. I've always wondered what it would be like to watch someone experience decades in seconds."

She smiled wickedly."It didn't always have this function, of course. I kept it because it was a gift from a friend. Back when I was human and still had friends, you know. She died later. It was sad. I cried, I think. Enough to fill a river, if you can believe it." Her eyes danced with a wicked humor. "I hear you were involved with her death. Just like everyone else's."

"Stop. Please," the War Doctor pleaded, not denying her accusations. "Gallifrey and so many others are already hurting. Why are you trying to add to it? Why are you hastening their destruction?"

The woman smirked again. "Because it's fun. Why else? They're going to die anyways. I'm just making it last a little longer. Or a lot. But thanks for distracting everybody else for so long. It helped me set things up. I think the Daleks might be rather friendly to me if I open up some of the defenses here on Gallifrey. And once Gallifrey is gone, it'll be easy enough for them to move on to a few other places. Like, you know, Earth. You don't care about that, though, do you? Just like you never really cared about me," she accused.

The War Doctor could only shake his head wearily. "Earth is your heritage, your home. Why would you destroy it?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "This Earth is not my home, and never was. I lost my home long ago. But that's enough stalling. Time for me to leave. Thanks again for being responsible for my creation. Bye, sweetie." Blowing him a kiss with a sardonic smile, she tapped a button on her vortex manipulator and vanished in a flash of light.

The War Doctor bowed his head, his shoulders shaking. At last he wiped his face and stood straight, glancing down to his feet where a small bag rested. "Lyssa or Gallifrey, Gallifrey or the universe. Once again, I have to sacrifice my world to save another. And every second I delay means prolonging the pain and death of innocents."

He pulled a necklace out from underneath his shirt with shaking hands, cupping the single item at the end in his hand. "But no more," he promised, reaching down and picking up the burlap sack. "No... more."

* * *

 **A/N: The last bit has several misleading clues scattered about, so I think it should be interesting to see what you guys come up with. :) And yes. The Doctor's door is, in fact, canonically 11. No other comments shall be made at this time. ;)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout out to Mikari Satsuke, LilactheDryad, Rose, brmn girl, yellowroseofthenw, afionna262, 22wolfgirl, V, gabumon 7, and ATardisBlueGelato for reviewing!**

 ** _Mikari Satsuke: Nope. Not River either, lol. Good guess, though! And yeah, I've wished I could edit reviews before too. :P And absolutely! I hate spiders! Haha, pudding brains unite indeed! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Rose: That is correct. The Doctor's door is indeed 11. How can he and Lyssa share a room indeed. ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _brmngirl: They do have the same room. Wonder why...? ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _yellowroseofthenw: Perhaps... ;) And hotels are indeed problems all on their own. :P Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _afionna262: Yep. I hate spiders with a fiery passion. Fiery as in, burn down the house if I see one. :P Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _22wolfgirl: Yeah, probably better than me as well. I would have burned the freaking place down the second I saw the spiders. Ugh! And you are correct. Door 11 was indeed the Doctor's room in the original episode... ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _V: Hahahaha, oh my goodness. Thanks. I had a lot of fun at the Murder-Mystery weekend, and I hope you had a great halloween as well. Thanks for a hilarious review, and I hope you liked it, lol. ;D_**

 ** _gabumon7: A chicken. :D Hope you liked it, lol. ;)_**

 ** _LilactheDryad: (I'll be responding to most of your reviews here, so get ready for a doozy) In regards to Ten and River, I figure I have a bit of leeway because she asked him if he'd done the Crash at Byzantium, (even though it was clearly Eleven), and she asked him about at least one other adventure as well so I figured I could fiddle around with it a bit. Otherwise, we can just blame it on plot convenience. Whichever works. ;)  
_**

 ** _And I'm buying copies of Doctor Who because I like having a physical copy. I'm weird like that, I guess. And you think Lyssa's the Oracle, eh? Interesting... My favorite Nine episode was probably Bad Wolf/Parting of Ways. Idk, though. I really liked Boom Town and Empty Child/The Doctor Dances as well. And you make a good point about Rose not deliberately forgetting about Mickey. And Cybermen are the worst. And we may or may not have met the Siren. You'll just have to wait and see. :)  
_**

 ** _And the Master was definitely based on Moriarty. He had just the right creep factor that I was looking for. And funnily enough, I've never actually played FNAF before. I've only seen others play it. I do watch Sherlock however, lol. And you make an interesting point about the Master. That should be explained at a later date... Good point, though! And ring? What ring... o:)_**

 ** _And no, you haven't been bothering me with all these notifications. I love getting reviews, because it means people are reading my story, and I get to find out what they think about it. And what on earth makes you think RDJ is who you think he is? And I believe Rose is the one who told Adam about the Doctor being a Time Lord. I should probably add that in there so that people know. Thanks for bringing it to my attention lol.  
_** ** _And what makes you think Jamie is the Empty Child? (not saying you're right or anything...) Jamie's identity is a secret, and should be revealed in due time. And Idk. Why do you think they share a door?  
_**

 ** _Also, when you accused me of being scared of chickens, I just about lost it, so thank you for making my day that much brighter. I'm actually scared of spiders, and threw the chicken in there because I've been planning on using a chicken in an episode for a while, and this is the first place it worked. You make a great point about RDJ possibly being the thirteenth Doctor, and a very interesting guess about the woman being the Siren. I believe you're the first person to do so, so congratulations. (Still not saying if you're right or not). Thanks for a series of awesome reviews, and I hope you liked it!_**

 ** _ATardisBlueGelato: Yeah, obviously it's not going to be a crack in this story. And I'm glad you liked the chapter! And I will hopefully be bringing in more Donna soon. I love her, I've just been waiting for the right episode. :P Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	59. Chapter 59 - The God Complex, Part 2

Lyssa staggered back from the room, hand clasped over her mouth. Surely that couldn't be - she wouldn't - that couldn't be her, could it? Cold and hateful, casting off all loyalties and falling so far down that the Doctor had to destroy Gallifrey to save the universe from the Daleks - and _her_.

It couldn't be her.

Could it?

But the woman had looked so similar to her, just with blonder hair and perhaps minor changes that could occur over time, that she didn't see how it could be anyone but her. Hadn't the Doctor mentioned that there would be physical changes from the Time Vortex running through her body?

If enough of them happened over time... could it be possible that enough of her changed that there was nothing left of the original her? To the point that she no longer cared about lost lives, that she tried to take them instead?

No. That couldn't be her. She wouldn't let it happen. The Doctor wouldn't let it happen to her. He'd stop her, save her from herself if that's what needed to happen. He would save her, she knew he would, he -

 _Praise him_.

The words flashed, unbidden, into her mind, wiping all her fears away for a single second before they returned again, worse than before.

No. _No_.

It had begun. She'd been infected, and it would slowly take over her to the point that she would willingly accept her death, even welcome it.

Except, if the woman was her, wouldn't it be better for her to die before she reached that point? To never become whatever it was she was? Maybe it was better this way. Maybe she should just wait for the creature to find her. Maybe he was doing her a kindness.

She stopped herself before she could continue any further down that particular trail of thought. If there was anything she'd learned from the Doctor, it was that there was always hope, and that you should never give up, never give in.

Maybe there was some way out of this she just hadn't thought of yet. If she just focused on that instead, she wouldn't be able to think about her fears or give into them. Maybe that was the way to stop the creature? Not to think about her fears?

She needed to find the Doctor. He would know how to fix this. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her eyes, smoothed down her wrinkled pantsuit as best as she could, and shut the door to her room, feeling the eyes of the War Doctor on her as she did so.

Something seemed to unclench inside of her as she did so and she relaxed minutely. Now that she could no longer see inside the room, it didn't seem as overwhelming. She could focus now. She could find the Doctor, and he would be able to help her.

Pushing her loose hair behind her ears, she set off for the dining room, hoping it would be in the same place as last time. The others would eventually regroup there, she knew, so sooner or later she should meet up with them.

She stopped abruptly.

She knew the others would return to the room eventually. None of them had mentioned returning when they left, so why did she know so assuredly? Biting her lip, her gaze fell down to the ground.

Everything was still so foggy she felt like she needed a fan in her head to clear away the mist shrouding everything. But this whole setup seemed so familiar, if she could just remember why.

Her hand brushed against her pocket and bumped something hard. Frowning down at it, she dipped her hand inside experimentally. Pulling out her journal, she stared at it in consternation. It hadn't been there during the trip to the bank, she knew that for sure, because she'd searched for it several times, hoping for any sort of tip on figuring out what was going on. And she knew she hadn't put it in her pocket before she fell asleep, either. So how did it get in there?

Unless the TARDIS put it there? Knowing that she might need it? If this seemed familiar to her, it was likely that it had been an episode that she had seen at some point. Which meant that she had likely written it down somewhere. Flipping to the back, she started to go through the various episodes she had written down, slowing down when she came to Eleven's section.

"Okay, Amy and Rory are married at this point, I saw their wedding rings," she muttered to herself. "Which means that it's got to be Season 6 at least, possibly 7. And I know it's after the Siren episode, so it's got to be later on."

Scanning through the summaries she had written for each episode, she shook her head in dismissal for each one until she came to The God Complex. Stopping there, she read through everything she had written until she came to the end.

"Oh, no." She staggered over to the wall and slid down it, resting her head in her hands and letting her journal fall to the ground.

 _'It's a 1980's themed hotel,_ she had written. _And each room has someone's worse nightmare. When you find your room, you start to praise him - a minotaur-like creature. And once you do, that's how it starts. That's how he finds you._

 _The minotaur feasts on faith_. _Whatever you see in your room, whatever you're afraid of, when you see it, you fall back on your faith. Whatever you believe in that you think will save you. That gets converted to some sort of energy that he can consume. The only way to stop him is to sever the food supply. Stop them believing, and he dies. He wants to die, but something's gone wrong. The hotel keeps drawing people in, and he can't stop it, can't rest like he wants._

 _Joe believes in luck. Howie believes in conspiracies. Rita has her religious faith. Gibbis waits for the next batch of invaders to tell him what to do. Amy believes the Doctor will save the all rely on something outside of themselves to guide them, to save them. And the hotel will use that to kill them. Rory isn't religious or superstitious, so I don't think it wants him._

 _The Doctor has a room, but I don't know what he will see, or what version of faith the hotel will try to take from him. I don't remember what it was originally. The crack in the universe? The regeneration that fought in the Time War? Or maybe it'll be something completely different. River did warn me that things would be different because I'm here._

 _What sort of belief does the hotel require, though? I believe in God. I believe that the Doctor will always try his best to save us because he is, at heart, a good man no matter what he says. I believe that fish fingers and custard are absolutely disgusting, also no matter what the Doctor says. Also, that dress is totally blue and black. Not white and gold. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)_

 _So if I end up in the hotel, what will I see in my room? Will I have a room? And if I do... what aspect of my faith will be targeted? Can I stop it simply by stopping my belief in something minor? Focus on things I don't believe in? Or will that only work if I've seen my room and that's what's been targeted?_

 _Maybe if I get Howie to believe that it's not a conspiracy that we're here, not the CIA, we can halt the process before anyone else has to die except Joe? I don't think I'll be able to save Joe. He'll probably be too far gone by the time I arrive, unless I get there before he finds his room. But Howie... His belief might be the easiest to change, especially without possibly permanently damaging him psychologically, if that makes sense._

 _I don't want to - nor do I believe I can - make Rita abandon her faith before she dies. And Gibbis, if he gets affected at all, finds out too late in the game for it to help much. Howie and Rita will already be dead, and Amy will already be starting to change._

 _Maybe that's what I have to do. Get people to focus on things they don't believe in? Get them to stop believing in minor things? This is the episode where the Doctor says goodbye to Amy and Rory, believing it will be safer for them._

 _If I save them earlier, how will that change things? Will he still feel that the only way to keep them safe is to say goodbye? If he doesn't, what does that mean for later episodes? Maybe I should just tell him what's supposed to happen, and see what he thinks? Maybe we can save Howie and Rita. I like to hope so._

 _There's just one problem._

 _If I find my room, I don't think I can be saved in time if it requires one of my main beliefs. I will always believe in God, and I will always believe that the Doctor will try to help us. Even if he tries to convince me otherwise, like he did/will with Amy, I've seen too much to believe that. Even by trying to convince her, he's trying to save her. I won't be able to stop believing that._

 _So what do I do if I get infected, or whatever? Try to stop believing in something small? Focus on the things I don't believe in? Pray I don't find my room until the end? Or maybe just don't find my room at all. I feel like that would probably work the best._

 _I wonder what my room will be. Maybe my fear will be finding my room, and it'll be like a glitch in the Matrix. Just me endlessly opening a hotel door and finding myself opening a hotel door and finding my room, which is me opening a hotel door and finding my room. I guess that brings me back to the whole 'don't find my room' thing again.'_

The entry stopped there, and she snorted at the "helpfulness" of her past self, trying to ignore the new hopeless feeling she had inside. If her past self was right, she might not be savable. And... if what she had seen in her room was really her future, maybe she wasn't even worth saving.

Her thoughts turned from fear to joy. From screaming to singing.

 _Praise him_.

No. She jerked her head up with a gasp, eyes wide with fright. She couldn't let that happen to herself. She had to fight against it as much as possible. _Okay. Think, Lyssa, think. What are things you_ don't _believe in?_

Two plus two does not equal five. Fish fingers and custard were not good, at all. The Doctor would never willingly set out to hurt people so long as he was the Doctor.

 _Praise him._

"No, no, no, no!" She scrambled to her feet and shoved the palms of her hands in her eyes, trying to push back tears. "This isn't working! This is just making it worse!" She felt a tear of frustration fall onto her cheek, and wiped it away angrily. "Ugh!"

"Lyssa?" The sound of her name made her pause, and she turned to see Rory standing a few yards away from her. "Lyssa, where have you been?" he asked incredulously, striding down the hallway towards her. "We've been looking all over for you! The Doctor's going mad worrying about you, especially after what happened with Joe."

"Joe?" she repeated immediately, latching onto his words. "What do you mean? What's happened?" She bent over and picked up her journal, tucking it back into her pocket for safekeeping for the time being. "Where's everyone else?"

"We got a bit split up when we heard the beast coming after us," Rory answered, leading the way back down the hall. "Howie found his room. The beast took Joe, and that's when the Doctor noticed that you weren't with any of us. When did that happen, by the way? Why'd you leave the group? You know what could happen if you find your room!"

Lyssa flinched. "Yeah. I know." She avoided his gaze, praying he wouldn't ask _how_ she knew. But, she had no such luck.

"Why did you flinch?" he asked slowly. Warily.

"I'm not - I didn't flinch," she protested weakly, not looking him in the eye.

"Lyssa, please. If you've found your room, the Doctor needs to know," he urged her. "If the beast kills Joe, then you could be next, along with Howie. The Doctor's going to need to know what's going on if he has to figure out a way to stop it."

She shook her head. "It's not like - I'm not - Ugh!" She stopped in frustration, weighing whether or not to confess to him that she had, in fact, found her room. That if she couldn't stop what was going to happen, Howie and Rita were going to die, and Amy would have to sacrifice her faith in the Doctor. "I know what's going to happen here, and it's not going to end well."

"Then it's even more important that we find the Doctor right away," he retorted, picking up speed and leading her through several winding hallways until they were approaching the hotel dining room once more. "We were supposed to regroup here. We'll either find them here, or they'll come back and find us here."

Lyssa nodded. "Right. I think I might have at least one way to stop this thing, so we'll see. But I think I might check ahead, just in case. That might give me some tips on what to do, or not do, as the case may be."

 _Praise him_.

She staggered as the world suddenly tilted around her, and she blinked in confusion when she found herself sitting in a heap on the middle of the floor.

"Lyssa!" Rory crouched in front of her immediately, hand reaching for her wrist and automatically checking her pulse. "Lyssa, what happened?"

She blinked. "Sorry. I just - I'm not sure what happened. Why am I on the floor?" She frowned at the nurse as he checked her forehead with the back of his hand.

"Heck if I know," he remarked, rolling his eyes before checking her pupils until she batted his hand away impatiently.

"I'm fine, Rory. I got dizzy all of a sudden, but I feel completely normal now." She huffed. "Well, as normal as I did before I got dizzy. I need a shower desperately."

"Yeah, good luck convincing the Doctor of that," he told her dryly as he helped her to her feet. "I don't believe that, and I'm not as attuned to you as he is. This is a very not good place, and I don't see him being comfortable with any of us wandering off - particularly you."

"I can still walk, you know," she grumbled as he held firmly onto her elbow.

"I am aware of that fact, yes."

She huffed again, but subsided with only a few more grumbles as they approached the dining room. Muted talking could be heard coming from within, one voice raising above the others before quieting again momentarily.

"Found the prodigal!" Rory announced, pushing open the door and ushering Lyssa inside, following in after her.

The Doctor stopped mid-rant to Amy and turned to face them, mouth still open and finger upraised. Rita was by the kitchen near the back, making tea in a kettle, and Howard and Gibbis sat nervously in two of the chairs.

Amy was sitting by the bar and watching the Doctor with a worried expression, chewing her lower lip nervously, but turned to look when they came in. The dummies previously scattered around the room had been moved to a far wall, and Joe's limp body lay on a dais.

Rory sucked in a breath. "What happened to Joe?"

"He's dead," Rita explained quickly as the Doctor moved over to the two of them.

"Rory!" he exclaimed. "And Lyssa! Where have you two been? Amy's been worried sick!"

"Oh, sure, I was the only one worried," the Scottish woman scoffed. "Pull the other one."

Lyssa gave the Doctor a wan smile. "I think I need to talk to you," she said quietly.

He stared at her, worry growing exponentially in his green eyes. "Yes," he returned just as quietly, "I rather think you do."

Rory shut the door behind them, and Howie immediately got up and shoved a chair underneath the handle, looking far more nervous than usual. "If we can wedge a chair under the door handles, that should stop anything from getting in," he announced.

"Help yourself to tea," Rita offered, coming out into the dining area with a tea tray. "Tea over here if you want it, guys," she called to Amy and Gibbis, who were talking in a low voice as she set the tray on one of the tables.

The Doctor sat down at one of the tables farther from the others, motioning for Lyssa to do the same. "Tea?" he asked, gesturing towards the pot.

She shrugged helplessly. "Why not?"

She fidgeted anxiously as he poured them both a cup of tea, adding sugar to both cups before bringing it back to their table and setting hers in front of her. She took a careful sip, wincing as the heat scalded her tongue before setting the cup down carefully on the table. It was still a bit bitter for her tastes, but not bad. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her journal and set it on the table between them with a sigh.

The Doctor's eyes focused on it. "Dare I ask why you have that out like you're offering it to me?" he asked cautiously, eyes lifting to hers.

She flushed, dropping her gaze to the book to avoid his. "That's because I'm actually considering it," she muttered.

He almost spat out tea all over the table.

"What?" he choked out, blinking back reflexive tears. "Why are you - why would you give me your journal? One of the main rules you've always held is that you never give it to anyone, me in particular!"

"Because this is one of those situations where I think you should know what's going on," she insisted. "If I'm going to try and stop more deaths like I'm assuming Joe's was, I'm going to have to change things. And it that's true, then what's the point of you not knowing? You might be able to help once you know the full issue here."

He only looked more troubled. "There have only been a few times when you've considered giving me your journal. Less when you've actually done so. There's an inherent danger in knowing the future that could be catastrophic in the wrong hands. Are you sure you want to trust me with this knowledge?"

She lifted up the journal and flipped to the right page, holding it out to him. "I'm sure. I know what you're like. I trust you."

 _Praise him_.

She jerked, and the book fell to the table with a thump, some of the tea spattering out of their cups as a result.

"Lyssa?" The Doctor ignored the fallen book, leaning forward and grasping her hand. "Lyssa, what's wrong?"

She stared at her hand with wide eyes before raising them to meet his. "I think we're running out of time."

"Doctor!" Amy interrupted them with an apologetic expression. "Sorry. But Doctor, look at this," she told him, holding out a stack of messy notes handwritten on notebook paper and folded roughly in half. "I found it in a corridor, I completely forgot I had it."

The Doctor stared at the paper for a moment before taking it, whacking her on the head with it gently and opening it. "Er... ' _My name is Lucy Hayward and I'm the last one left_ ,'" he read.

" _It took Luke first. It got him on his first day, almost as soon as we arrived. It's funny. You don't know what's going to be in your room until you see it, then you realize it could never have been anything else. I just saw mine. It was a gorilla from a book I'd read as a kid. My goodness, that thing used to terrify me. The gaps between my worships are getting shorter, like contractions. This is what happened to the others... and how lucky they were. It's all so clear now. I'm so happy. Praise him._ "

"Praise him," Howie repeated softly.

"What did you just say?" the Doctor asked, whipping on the frightened young man, who cowered back in his seat.

"Nothing!" He seemed to struggle with himself briefly before the words burst out once more. "Praise him!" He clapped his hands over his mouth, staring at the Doctor with pleading, terrified eyes.

"This is what happened to Joe!" Gibbis cried, scrambling out of his chair and away from Howie.

"It's going to come for me, now!" Howie exclaimed in terror, hands clutching at his head.

"You'll lead it right here!" Gibbis accused in horror, pointing at him.

"I don't want to get eaten!" Howie practically wailed, still cowering in his seat.

Everyone started yelling at once, too many voices to be heard. The Doctor tried several times to speak, only to give up and raise his sonic in the air, turning it on and filling the room with a shrill noise. They all winced and clapped their hands over their ears until he finally shut it off.

"Thank you!" he said with satisfaction. "Now why don't we all calm down?" he suggested forcefully.

"Don't you see?" Gibbis exclaimed incredulously. "He'll lead it right to us!"

"Well, what do you suggest?" Rita countered, leaning against the bar and eyeing him in a rather unfriendly manner.

"Look, whatever it is out there, it's obviously chosen Howard as its next course," Gibbis began. "Now... tragic though that is, this is no time for sentiment. I'm saying, if it were to... find him, it may be satisfied and let the rest of us go. All I want to do is go home and be conquered and oppressed, is that too much to ask?" His voice became shrill at the end before breaking, and he quickly sat back down in a chair.

"It's okay," Rita told the others quietly. "I'll stay with Howie. You take the others and go."

The Doctor shook his head immediately. "No. We'll stay together." His face was hard as he crossed to Gibbis and leaned down, voice just loud enough that Lyssa was able to overhear.

"Your civilization is one of the oldest in the galaxy. Now I see why. Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's sly, aggressive. It's how that gene of gutlessness has survived while so many others have perished. Well, not today. No one else dies today. Right?" He stared down the other alien until he mouthed back an affirmative answer. "Brilliant."

He stood back up, hard air falling from his face as he crossed back to Howie and put an arm around his shoulders. "Howie, any second, it's going to possess you again. When it does, I'm going to ask you some questions. Please try to answer them."

Howie nodded timidly as everyone sat down at the table around him, all waiting tensely. "I hope my mum's all right, she's going to be w-worried."

Lyssa looked down at that, hands forming into fists. Howie would get back to her mother if she had anything to say about it. All she had to do was look ahead and see if getting him to stop believing worked, and if it didn't, she could focus on finding out some other way of getting out of the hotel without everyone dying.

 _Praise him_.

Her eyes glazed over before clearing again, and she fell back against her chair with a slight gasp. No one noticed, though, too focused on Howie, who... didn't seem to be himself anymore.

"Howie, you're next," the Doctor told him in a fake excited tone. "We're all dead jealous, so tell us... How do we get a piece of the action? Why isn't he possessing all of us?"

Howie grinned manically. "You guys have got all these distractions." He tapped his head. "All these obstacles. It'd be so much easier if you just let it go, you know, clear the path." He tilted his head suddenly. "Some of you are closer than the others, though. So much closer to glory." He began to rock back and forth slightly. "You've found your rooms. He's coming for you, just a little bit longer."

"You want it to find you?" Amy questioned, sounding a bit stunned. "Even knowing what it's going to do to you?"

Howie laughed excitedly. "Are you kidding? He's going to kill us all! How cool is that?"

The Doctor got up abruptly and gestured for them to follow him. Realizing she was out of time to look, Lyssa leaned forward. "Howie!" she hissed. "It's not too late! If you stop believing, you can stop all this! You won't be in danger anymore! It's not the CIA behind this. Your conspiracy theories were wrong! The CIA has nothing to do with this!" Howie just tilted his head and seemed to stare straight through her. "Howie, please tell me you can hear me," she begged him.

His lips curled up in a smile, his eyes wild and vacant. "You're not ready yet, that's why you can't see it," he told her at last. "Just a little longer, though. Soon. It's already started. You can feel it, can't you? The overwhelming peace each time the worship comes." He closed his eyes in happiness. "Praise him," he breathed slowly.

 _Praise him_.

Lyssa pushed back from the table with a gasp, her stomach threatening to get rid of the donuts she had eaten just a few hours before at Howie's words. Rejoining the others, her heart clenched all over again at hearing the Doctor speak.

"It's as I thought, it feeds on fear. Everything, the rooms, Lucy's note, even the pictures in reception, has been put here to frighten us. So we have to resist it. Do whatever you have to, cross your fingers, say a prayer, think of a basket of kittens, but do not give in to the fear."

"No!" she interrupted, fingers twisting together nervously. "No! That's not what he feeds on, you've got it all wrong!"

They all turned to face her, brows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked slowly. "Then what does he feed on?"

"Is this part of what you were talking about earlier?" the Doctor questioned, watching her closely with a frown.

She nodded, trying to organize her scrambled thoughts in the middle of the fog her brain had now become. She grabbed her journal off the table, running her finger down the page until she found the part she was looking for. "He feeds on faith. Not fear, faith."

"I'm sorry, what?" Rory stared at her in disbelief.

"Faith?" the Doctor frowned. "How?"

She tried to steady her shaking legs, to no avail. "Okay, say you're a small child, and you have a bad dream, or you get scared of something. What do you do?"

Amy blinked. "Go to your parents?"

She nodded. "Why?" she pressed further.

"I don't know. Because they're your parents, and they'll tell you that everything's all right?" Amy asked in exasperation.

Lyssa pointed at her. "Bingo! If you're older, and you're scared, what are you supposed to do? Find someone..." she prompted.

"Find someone you trust?" Rory finished uncertainly.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, wincing when he jumped. "Sorry. But what did Howie do when he found his room?"

"He said it had to be some messed up CIA thing," the Doctor answered, his eyes narrowed. "Another one of his theories about what's going on behind the scenes."

She nodded eagerly. "Yes! Exactly! Everyone who was drawn to this building had faith in something they believed help guide them. When you get faced with your biggest fear, you fall back on that faith! The beast - something that looks kind of like a Minotaur - feeds off of that, if I recall correctly."

"So then how do we stop him?" Rita asked calmly.

She wrinkled her nose, closing her journal and putting it back in her pocket. "The main way I remember is to stop believing in whatever it is that's been targeted. But there might be other ways. I'll have to check."

The Doctor nodded. "Right. I think a little more information might help with that, so if none of you object, I say we go and have a chat with our friend. I might have a trick or two up my sleeve that can keep a nice distance between us. Thoughts?"

Everyone agreed, so without further ado, they gave Howie the same treatment Joe had received. Once securely tied to the dolley, they set off for reception to gather the needed supplies.

Lyssa was the last to leave, looking back at the dining room. If she'd just had a bit more time, she could have tried to look for possible outcomes, and see which ways worked, but she didn't. So instead, she closed her eyes and felt ecstasy wipe away her fears temporarily as she spoke the words for the first time.

"Praise him."

* * *

 **A/N: And the misdirection continues this chapter! (Good luck finding out where or even what I'm referring to) I am not going to confirm or deny any of the guesses made regarding last chapter's ending, but I can say that all will be revealed - and explained - in due time. Also, again, not confirming right or wrong, but you guys all reached very interesting conclusions... ;)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Mikari Satsuke, ZaraSwann, Foxtronic, LilactheDryad, ATardisBlueGelato, DJPaigeDJ, yellowroseofthenw, and afionna262 for reviewing! :)**

 ** _Mikari Satsuke: Hahaha. You make an interesting guess regarding the mystery woman... and the Siren. Continue down that path if you dare, I cannot guarantee what awaits you at the end... ;) Time War chapters probably won't be for a while, though. Just saying. :P You make some excellent guesses, but like I said earlier, I regretfully can neither confirm nor deny of them at this time. And yeah, I haven't heard a lot of positive things about Season 10, so I'm not too upset I haven't seen any of it so far. Anyways, thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _ZaraSwann: You make a very interesting guess, very well thought out. It's a pity I can't give out answers just yet... ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 ** _Foxtronic: All I got was a blank space, so I'm assuming that you tried to put down an emoji or similar symbol, and the site, in all its wisdom, deleted it, so sorry! Thanks for taking the time to review, though, and I hope you enjoyed it! :)_**

 ** _LilactheDryad: Hahaha, you sound very sure of yourself... Be careful... ;) As for her room, I think I hinted at why near the beginning of the chapter, and it'll get explained more in depth later, so hopefully that should help. I can't get more in depth here, unfortunately. :P Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _ATardisBlueGelato: So many guesses and so little answers... Such a shame. (Seriously though, good guesses. I'm not saying if they're right or not, but good guesses.) As for Canary Wharf, what makes you think he's the thirteenth Doctor? ;) And no, I definitely don't mind getting questions, not at all. It means people are invested enough to care. :) So thanks for letting me know how much you enjoy my story. It really does mean a lot! And thanks for a great review (sorry I couldn't answer your questions just yet) and I hope you liked this chapter! :D_**

 ** _DJpaigeDJ: Eesh. I'll take a look at that. Thanks for letting me know that it's not pulling up the image search. And I'm so glad that you are liking my story! Thanks for an awesome review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _yellowroseofthenw: Hahaha, misleading or foretelling? The answer: Yes. You make an excellent guess, and you do indeed have chapter evidence to back you up as well... Such a shame I can't confirm or deny it for you yet... ;) But great effort though! (And I truly mean that). Thanks for an awesome review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _afionna262: Yep. Lyssa's mind is kind of on autopilot right now. It's not working at 100% if you know what I mean. Escapades with the Doctor's room continue in the next chapter. Thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**

 **Specific Disclaimer: Lyssa's views on the colors of the dress do not necessarily reflect or indicate my own. ;)**


	60. Chapter 60 - The God Complex, Chapter 3

As quickly as it had come, the ecstasy vanished, and Lyssa doubled over on herself, gagging as the world spun dizzily around her. Falling to her hands and knees, she fought against the urge to vomit, one of her hands going to her stomach as her mouth filled with saliva. Choking it down, she took deep breaths until the urge passed and the roaring in her ears disappeared as her vision slowly cleared.

It was only then that she realized that someone was rubbing her back and murmuring words that attempted to sound soothing, but were too fraught with worry to actually succeed. Swiping at her mouth and swallowing again, she leaned back onto her heels and looked over at Rory, too worn out to even bother pretending nothing was wrong.

"Lyssa, what's going on?" he asked as soon as he saw that she was feeling better. "That's the second time you've nearly collapsed, now. Are you sick? Are you still feeling bad after your panic attack?"

"Thank you for reminding me, and no," she grumbled, accepting his help to stand up. "Well, yes. I don't know. Why are you asking me all this? You should know by now that I'm in a perpetually confused state when it comes to my emotional life."

"Not enough of one to be perpetually sick or on the verge of collapse like you are now," he told her, refusing to be diverted from his question as he steadied her when she swayed. "What's really going on? Is this some delayed side effect from you finding your room even though you didn't go inside, or...?"

Lyssa flinched despite her best efforts, and she knew he saw it when he sucked in a sharp breath. "Lyssa... did you go inside your room?" he asked slowly.

"I don't know what's causing this," she blurted out, avoiding the question and answering his earlier question instead. "Like I said earlier, I know what's supposed to happen, and I know what it looks like when you find your room. This isn't it. You get all loopy and brainwashed like Joe and Howie."

She frowned as a thought struck her. Her journal had told her that Rita had found her room and eventually died, but she didn't remember Rita acting like that at all. And she had found her room, so... maybe it was caused by her finding her room?

Or maybe she reacted differently because she was no longer completely human.

She shivered at the reminder of what she had seen in her room, twisting her fingers together nervously.

"Okay, that's enough," Rory announced suddenly, placing his hand under her elbow and forcefully guiding her out of the room and into the hallway. "I'm telling the Doctor."

"Wait, no!" she cried, twisting out of his grasp and stopping in the middle of the hall. "He doesn't need to know."

Rory stared at her incredulously. "He doesn't need to know?" he repeated, his tone rising in disbelief. "Lyssa, he's our best chance of getting out of here. Of course he needs to know! Not to mention that he'd want to know if you were hurt or sick."

"Yeah, but this is just going to distract him, and he needs to not be distracted right now," Lyssa countered, heading down the hallway again but watching him pleadingly. "We both know how he can get when he's worried about a friend."

Rory scoffed, but walked with her, hovering annoying close behind her in case she wavered again. "Yeah. He does whatever he can to make them all right. You know, like a friend _should_."

"I'm not saying that he shouldn't be like that," Lyssa sputtered, feeling like she was losing the battle. "I'm just saying that he can get too focused on that instead of the main issue, or lose his cool. And that's the last thing we need right now! Ugh! If I could just get the chance to look ahead, I could figure out some line of attack. I just -"

 _Praise him_.

And the world shifted sideways.

When her vision righted itself again, she was being carried bridal style rapidly down the hallway by a very determined-looking Rory, following some sound she couldn't quite hear at the moment. He looked relieved when she caught his eye, but didn't stop moving.

She sighed, letting her throbbing head rest against his chest, the motion feeling oddly strange when she only heard one heart beating inside instead of two. "I don't suppose there's any chance you won't be telling the Doctor about this?" she murmured wearily.

"Not a chance," Rory confirmed immediately. "Whatever's going on with you is clearly getting worse. Your temperature is normal, but your heart is going a lot faster than it should be, especially at rest. You're dizzy and nauseous, and don't think I've noticed you avoiding the topic of whether or not you actually went inside your room."

She groaned. "Ugh. Fine. Be like that."

"Yeah, I think I will," he said sharply. "You may not know me that well yet, but even if you're not my friend yet, I am yours. _And_ I'm a nurse. That means that I'm going to look out for you, like it or not."

She shifted uneasily, his words striking home. "Sorry," she said sheepishly at last. "For... how troublesome I've been. And... I don't, I'm not..."

"You don't have to apologize for not knowing me," he interrupted her, saving her from stuttering over her words even further. "It's not your fault. If this is the first time we've really met, then I'd like to extend an offer of friendship to you."

Lyssa considered his words, smiling somewhat at his blunt offer. "Considering the last time we met, we were kind of both brainwashed and thus not really at our best, sure. Why not? I'd like the chance to be friends with Rory the Roman."

"Great. Welcome to the list of my friends," he congratulated her, looking insufferably smug for some reason. She found out why a moment later. "And one of the immediate privileges of being my friend is that I look out for them. You're looking a bit sick, so in my expert medical opinion as a nurse, I think you should see a doctor. And, you're in luck, because I just so happen to travel with one."

Lyssa groaned, wriggling half-heartedly in his arms. "I take back my acceptance of your friendship. And can you let me down? I think I can walk now."

"Sorry. All offers are final, no returns," Rory informed her, but set her down anyways, watching her carefully as she stood. "All joking aside, I expect you to tell me the moment anything feels off, got it?"

"Yes, Mum," Lyssa mocked him grumpily, gesturing for him to lead the way. "I do have one question, though. The Doctor was very insistent that we all stick together earlier. So... why didn't the group wait for us? Why wasn't he there panicking when I felt like I was going to throw up earlier? I mean, no offense," she added hastily. "You were very nice to come back for me. It's just... he's gotten worried over a lot less, so it seems a bit strange that he didn't even notice."

"I don't know," Rory said slowly. "But that happened earlier, too. When you disappeared. No one else seemed to notice until I brought it up. And the same this time. I was following the group to the beauty parlor when I realized that you weren't with us. They must not have heard me say anything, but I ended up going back for you, found you on the floor, and, well, you know the rest."

"That's so weird, though," Lyssa frowned. "I wonder if... The hotel wants us to find our room, right?"

Rory nodded. "You feel drawn to your room. The rooms shift, probably to help you find your room."

"So then... what if the hotel separated us in hopes that one of us would find our room, and not be distracted by the others?" she said thoughtfully. "I mean, we already know this place messes with your brain. What if it distracted them from noticing so that you could find your room? No, wait."

She frowned again, remembering that the hotel originally didn't seem to want Rory, even offering him potential ways out at several points, and she had already found her room. Maybe that's why he was so clearheaded? He didn't have a room? She didn't have the energy or thought power to follow that thought to its end, and wrinkled her nose in frustration.

"Ugh. Why do things have to be so complicated?" she complained, throwing her hands in the air.

"Says the girl who travels through time, knows the future, and is best friends with a time-traveling maniac with dreadful fashion sense," Rory teased her.

"Oh, yeah, sure. This from the guy who was turned into a plastic Roman for two thousand years," she retorted.

The nurse shrugged easily, taking the comeback in stride. "To be completely honest, I'm pretty sure I've had weirder things happen on shift. You get all sorts on a Friday night." A low growl cut through the air and they both froze. "You know what, I suggest we start moving very quickly, and very quietly," Rory whispered, placing a hand on her back to lightly propel her forwards.

"I think I agree," Lyssa nodded, both of them speeding up to a run.

Five minutes later they were still running."Why is it taking so long to get there? It was only a short distance from the dining room to Reception before," she muttered harshly a moment later.

"The walls shift, remember?" Rory panted quietly. "Maybe he's trying to corner us into finding our rooms." He glanced at her knowingly. "Or me."

Lyssa didn't respond, only ran faster until they burst into the beauty parlor. A hair salon was set up along one end, a manicure station along another, and a waterfall feature and fishbowl decorated the third side, full-length mirrors laid against the wall in several spots.

The Doctor had just finished setting up a full-sized mirror against the wall next to several others when they appeared, and spun around immediately, looking relieved when he saw it was them. "Lyssa! Rory! Thank goodness you're here! You two need to stop running off like that, this is not a good place for that! I've got a plan, the kinks are still being worked out, but at the moment it's all I've got."

"Doctor," Rory started, only to be interrupted.

"No time for that now, there's a Minotaur coming, and I have one increasingly insane brainwash victim in the back who I promised that I wouldn't leave." He shoved a mop into Rory's arms.

"You two, go out the side there. When the Minotaur comes in the front, Amy and Rita are going to block those doors. Then I need you to block your door with the mop. We'll corner the Minotaur in here, and hopefully I can talk to him. Lyssa, you said he didn't want to do this. Maybe he has some pointers on how to stop him before anyone else dies." He clapped his hands together. "So, that's the plan, what little there is of it. Got it?"

"Wait. Where's Howie?" Lyssa blurted before Rory could say anything. "And Gibbis?"

"I've got Howie safely stashed in Reception, duct-taped to a chair. Gibbis is watching him with strict instructions not to talk to him or set him loose. Now, enough chit-chat. Best head off to your spot now." The Doctor shook his head suddenly, rubbing at it with a grimace. "Something's wrong, I just haven't figured out what yet."

"Yeah, like maybe why you didn't notice right away that Lyssa and I were gone despite you saying not to wander off?" Rory asked sarcastically. "Or we're in a telepathic hotel that brainwashes you? Or that Lyssa's clearly sick? Did none of that strike you as wrong before?"

"I'm not sick!" Lyssa protested immediately when the Doctor whipped around to face her, fear evident. "And why are you so worried? Even if I was, it's probably just the flu!"

"No it's not," Rory argued. "Something's wrong with you, and we need to find out what."

A growl cut through the air and they all looked up. The Doctor scowled, his face hard. "No time. You two, over there. Now," he pointed at the door. "Block it off, and stay away from the Minotaur. If either of you starts acting funny, let me know as soon as the Minotaur is gone. I don't have the time to deal with this right now, but rest assured that I will not be letting this go afterwards."

He pressed a button on his sonic and darted behind the waterfall feature, gesturing for them to leave. Lyssa and Rory darted into the hallway behind the door the Doctor had gestured to as Howie's voice filled the air.

" _Come to me_ ," his longing voice called. " _I'm waiting here... for you. He has promised me a glorious death. Give it to me now, I want him to know my devotion_."

Lyssa shivered, glancing at Rory, who looked just as appalled. "He went downhill so quickly," she whispered. "How long was it even between him finding his room and completely losing it?"

Rory shrugged helplessly as the dreamy voice continued. " _Praise him_."

A scraping noise filled the air, growing closer and filling her heart with dread.

" _Praise him_ ," Howie called again.

A flash of gray fur entered the beauty parlor, and a door immediately slammed behind him. "Rory, he's in!" Amy called.

The nurse reacted immediately, slamming his own doors shut and wedging the mop in between the handles. The lights went out in the beauty parlor, and they waited tensely as a loud clattering echoed from the room followed by another growl, although it sounded more confused than dangerous this time.

" _Let his name... be the last thing I hear_ ," Howie begged, his voice slurring slightly. " _Let his breath on my skin be the last thing I feel. I was lost in shadows, but he found me. His love was a beacon that led me from darkness to light, and now I am blinded by his majesty. Humbled by his glory! Praise... him_."

"And that's quite enough of that, I think," the Doctor decided aloud, and the speaker cut out with a shrill noise. "Nothing personal. I just think we should take things slowly. Get to know each other. You take people's most primal fears and pop it in a room. A tailor-made hell, just for them. Why? Friend of mine mentioned something about you feeding on their faith. Is that what you do?" He paused as the Minotaur answered in some incomprehensible tongue. "Did you say 'they' take? Ahh, what is that word? The guard? No, the warden? This is a prison?"

He paused again to listen. "So, what are we? Cell mates? Lunch? We are not... ripe? That's what Joe said. That we weren't ready. So, what? You make us ready? You... what? 'Replace?' Replace what? Our faith? Turn it into something you can digest? 'You have lived so long, even your name is lost? You want this to stop. Because you are just... instinct.' Then tell me. Tell me how to fight you. I can help you if you just let me. No one else has to die. You can be at peace."

"He's doing it!" Lyssa whispered to Rory excitedly. "He's talking to the Minotaur! I knew we had a chance! We just had to -"

 _Praise him_.

"Praise him."

It took her a minute to realize that the words didn't come from her, and by that point, Rory was once more supporting her as her legs threatened to give out beneath her.

"My master, my lord."

Howie. He must have gotten free, or something, because he was speaking again, only this time she could hear his actual voice, not just a speaker. "I'm here. Bring me death!" he called joyfully. "Come for me!"

"No, no, no, Lyssa! Rory! Watch out!" the Doctor called out to them in horror, before the sound of glass shattering filled the air.

They barely had any time to react before the window next to their door shattered. They both covered their eyes as a cloven hoof reached through the hole, pulling the mop from the handle. The doors swung open, knocking Rory against the wall, and dragging Lyssa down with him. A tall, horned creature stepped in, its bright blue eyes focusing first on the stunned Rory, then Lyssa.

She stared up at it in wonder, feeling a strange absence of fear as she came face to face with the creature that had killed untold thousands of innocent people. Instead, a pleasant feeling of peace settled over her, and she reached up a hand curiously, almost wanting to touch the creature.

Being with him, seeing him, just... settled all the crazy feelings she had been dealing with that day. It took them all away, and left her feeling calm and peaceful, and she was so grateful for that.

But it drew back, grunting at her before continuing on down the hall towards Howie's crazed cries. Feeling almost disappointed, she got to her feet, determined to go after it. She had to let him know how grateful she was for him helping her.

Then she hesitated. The Doctor might worry about her, and she didn't want that. So, to let him know that she was safe, she decided to leave something for him. Her hand strayed to her journal before she shook her head. She wasn't supposed to do that. It held spoilers for him. Things he wasn't supposed to know yet.

She pouted, trying to think of something she could use that wouldn't give anything away. Then she smiled. Hand going to her necklace, she slid her fingers around it until she found the clasp and released it.

Pulling it from her neck, she draped it carefully on the ground by Rory, where it would be easily found by him when he woke up. Then she set off after the Minotaur, content in her knowledge that the Doctor would no longer be worried about her.

"Praise him!" Howie called one last time before abruptly going silent.

Lyssa smiled, throwing back her head and laughing as the last of her fears and worries trickled away. She felt so free, released from all her worries as she practically skipped down the halls, following wherever her heart led her. She was so close to finding him, she could feel it!

xXx

She had her hands on the walls when she woke up. Or, rather, returned to her senses. Reality hit her like a bucket of ice water, and she physically staggered from the shock of it, dropping to the floor and struggling to draw in a breath, feeling like all the wind had been knocked out of her. Fear washed over her in waves, threatening to drown her as all her emotions crashed down on her once more and she remembered where she was.

Her hand reflexively went up to her necklace to clasp it for comfort, only to grasp thin air. She panicked, clawing at her neck, trying to find the elusive chain and charm. She hadn't taken it off since the day River Song had bought it for her on that alien marketplace over a year ago, and she'd further promised the Doctor that she wouldn't take it off when he gave her the charm. So where had it gone?

She cast desperately through her memories, trying to remember taking it off, but failed. She had vague, hazy memories of feeling a warped version of bliss and trying to find the Minotaur, only to fail. But now she didn't know where she was, where the Doctor was, she didn't know what was happening or even had happened, and her necklace, the one she'd worn every day for over a year, was gone.

Worse yet, she had found her room, and the change had already begun. She'd begun praising him, and if the false blissful period she sort of recalled meant anything, she was nearing the final stage of change.

She felt sick for an entirely different reason this time. Fighting the urge to cry, her hand still clasping thin air at her neck, she struggled to her feet. She tried to speak, but only a croak came out. She grimaced, clearing her throat before trying again.

"Doctor?" she called weakly. "Doctor, can you hear me?"

She wasn't surprised that no response came, but she still felt a bit of hope leave her anyways. She sniffed and glanced at the nearest door number, trying to figure out where she was.

152.

She was pleased at first, hoping she could go from there to find Reception, until she realized that she had no idea how many doors were on each floor. There could be ten doors on each floor, there could be fifty. For all she knew, Reception wasn't even on the first floor, and she was a hundred floors away from wherever the rest of the group was.

However many of them were left.

She sobered at the thought. The last thing she remembered clearly was Howie yelling some spiel about his 'lord and master' into the intercom. What had happened between then and now? And how long did she have before her next... worship, or whatever? Biting her lip in worry, she kept going until she found the stairs and headed down, going down five levels before she reached the bottom.

She knew instantly that she was near Reception, but it was deserted. The entire area was empty of any signs of life, and she felt a chill run through her at the knowledge that she might be alone in the hotel again.

A noise down one of the hallways caught her attention, and she peered down it just in time to see the Doctor close a door softly and rest his head against it.

"Of course," he said bitterly, the words carrying easily to her ears. "What else?"

* * *

 **A/N: Lyssa's half way to lala land now, and the Doctor has found A door (might not be his, who knows?) What could possibly go wrong?**

 **I hope all my fellow American readers have a very Happy Thanksgiving, and to all my other readers... I hope you have a great Thursday! :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Mikari Satsuke, yellowroseofthenw, TheProtectorOfHim, gabumon7, Lilac the Dryad, brmngirl, and afionna262 for reviewing! :)**

 _ **Mikari Satsuke: Feel free to keep guessing in reviews - I love seeing what people come up with and their ideas for what's happening/going to happen. (And you're not the only one missing a bit of sanity, don't worry :P) And more misdirections, yes. There are a lot of them for this episode. :D Feel free to watch the episodes again, though, lol. I should do that too. ;D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like it! :)**_

 _ **yellowroseofthenw: Hahaha, I'm glad the misdirection seems to be working so far! If it helps, the next chapter should explain at least a few things... ;) (It also might just create more questions... ;)) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D**_

 _ **TheProtectorOfHim: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! I have not seen anything past Season 9, nor have I seen any show that Jodie has ever been in, so I have no idea what she's like. Sorry! D: If it's in reference to her being the female Doctor, all I can say is that I never wanted one for multiple reasons, although it has no bearings on her skill as an actress, as I'm sure she'll do a wonderful job.**_

 _ **gabumon7: Yep. And the fun part is, there are still multiple things that could happen in the final chapter. :D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **LilactheDryad: Yeah, things aren't looking too great for Howie here... There's still a chance, though! And yeah, Idk what I'd find in mine. Probably something depressing. Or spiders. Spiders are a distinct possibility. :P Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **brmngirl: Haha, I'm glad I'm not getting too predictable. :D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **afionna262: Well, I mean, technically you saw the Doctor's room. Assuming it was his, that is... ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D**_

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed it! :D**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	61. Chapter 61 - Every Nightmare Must End

"Doctor?" The name left her lips involuntarily, almost too quiet to be heard as she walked towards him.

He still reacted like he'd heard a gunshot, whipping around to face her with a sudden energy.

"Lyssa?" He stared at her with wide eyes, looking like he couldn't believe his eyes. "Rassilon, Lyssa, where have you been? We all thought you were dead!" He still hadn't moved from his position by the door, and she hesitated, suddenly unsure if he was actually glad to see her or not.

"I don't - I'm not quite sure, actually," she admitted with a little shrug, stopping a few feet away from him. "The last thing I really remember was Howie yelling to the beast, and not over the intercom. Did he get free?"

The Doctor nodded, not taking his eyes off of her. "Yes. Well. I don't think he got there entirely on his own, but he got out, and, well..."

"The beast got him?" Lyssa finished, feeling strangely detached from the horror of what she was saying.

The Doctor nodded slowly. "I found his glasses a few hallways down from the beauty parlor. Then his body a short distance beyond that."

"Anyone else?" she asked immediately, starting to feel lightheaded.

"No," he said slowly, eyeing her carefully. "Why? Should there be?"

She frowned. "Maybe. I don't - I don't..." She put a hand to her head, trying to think. Why was everything getting so... foggy? "Why do I feel so... dizzy all of a sudden?" she muttered, swaying on her feet and leaning against the wall.

"Lyssa?" The Doctor was by her side in an instant, looking her over for any sign of injury. "Lyssa, what's wrong? Wait, Rory mentioned something earlier, he said you were sick. Have you come down with something, or..." he hesitated, drawing back a little as if afraid to say the words as they came out. "Have you found your room?" he asked in a tense whisper.

Lyssa looked up at him timidly with a sheepish grin, knowing he could see the answer in her eyes.

He sucked in a breath. "Oh, Lyssa. Okay. That... is a bit not good," he said shakily.

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah. Just a bit." She grimaced as the world decided to change things up around her, and she slid to the floor in an ungraceful heap. "Okay. Yeah. Definitely not good. I'd say going from bad to worse very quickly now."

"Lyssa, please." The Doctor crouched down beside her, looking very worried. "Your room - What did you see? Do you know what faith it's targeting?"

She shook her head, panting. "I don't even know why I'm reacting like this. Joe and Howie didn't, and neither did Rita or Amy."

The Doctor froze. "Rita and Amy found their rooms?"

Shoot. She hadn't meant to disclose that information quite yet. "Yeah." She bit her lips. "Rita found her room around the same time Howie did, I think. And Amy... I'm not sure. Maybe around when Howie died?"

The Doctor eyed her carefully. "And do they... die?"

Lyssa relaxed suddenly, smiling giddily as all her dizziness and stress and fears were washed away, replaced with a heartfelt gratitude for the one who'd done this for her. "We all die in the end, Doctor. We're just lucky enough to have him here to do the job for us. It makes it all so much better." Her smile fell when the Doctor didn't look as ecstatic as she had hoped, leaning more towards the horrified end of the spectrum instead. "Doctor? What's wrong?" she asked uncertainly.

"Oh, Lyssa," he mourned, sounding heartbroken. "How long has this been going on? How long have I been missing it?"

"It's okay, Doctor. If you've found your room, you'll feel happy too soon enough," she assured him, knowing he was probably feeling left out. Feeling daring, she reached out and clasped his hand in hers. Startled, he glanced down at their joined hands then back up at her. "Don't worry," she promised, smiling reassuringly at him. "I'll wait for you until you're ready, and then we can go together!" She released him and clapped her hands eagerly. "Won't that be exciting?"

He smiled weakly, though she noticed with concern that it looked more like a grimace than anything. "Brilliant, really."

"Are you all right, Doctor?" she asked worriedly. "If you're feeling sick, you should just focus on what you believe in. That'll help you find him that much quicker, and you'll be so happy! Just like me!"

He clasped her hands in his and rested his forehead on them, swallowing hard before lifting his head and speaking to her in a strange tone of voice, not sounding nearly as upbeat as he usually did. "Lyssa, I will be very happy if you tell me what faith you think was targeted. Please. If I'm to have any chance of saving you, I need to know what it's targeting."

She giggled. "Silly Doctor. I don't need to be saved. He's going to come kill us all. Who wants to be saved from that?" She noticed how downcast he got and frowned. She didn't want him to be sad... She bit her lip, trying to think. "Would it make you feel better if I tell you?"

"It will make me very happy, yes. I will feel so much better," he promised her immediately.

She blinked. "You get happy about strange things, Doctor. But I don't think I can help with that. I don't actually know what it targeted. But I can tell you what was in my room, and maybe you can work it out from there?" she suggested when he only looked sadder.

His green eyes fixed on hers. "Are you sure you want to tell me? A person's deepest fear is a very personal thing, and I can try to work it out from something else."

She pulled a hand from his and cupped his cheek, smiling when he tilted his head adorably in confusion. "Doctor, I've always trusted you. That doesn't change just because I've found the light first. And if me telling you what I saw means that you feel better, of course I'm going to tell you."

"Oh, Lyssa." Tears started swimming in his eyes and she panicked, suddenly worried she had hurt or offended him somehow.

"Wait! Don't cry! I'm sorry!" She yanked her other hand from his and dug both her hands into her hair. "Why are you crying? What did I do? Whatever it was, I'm sorry!" she wailed. "How could I do this, I'm such an awful friend!" Sliding her hands down over her face she let out a muffled groan, resisting when he tried to tug her hands away.

"Lyssa, could you please look at me?" his voice asked quietly, too much of a pleading tone present for her to actually consider turning him down. She reluctantly peered out from her hiding spot and blushed when she saw him smiling crookedly at her. "There you are," he crooned. "I've been looking for you."

She blinked at him, confused. "What? Doctor, I've been here with you the whole time."

He leaned in and tapped her forehead. "Yeah, but now I think you're _actually_ here with me."

"What?"

The smile dropped from his face and he looked at her very seriously. "Lyssa, what do you actually remember of the past five minutes?"

"What?" she asked again. Then her brain caught up with her mouth and she furrowed her brow. "I found you, we talked about Howie, and then I started feeling dizzy again." She frowned. "Hold on. No. That's not quite..." She rubbed a hand through her hair, freezing when she realized what had happened. "I went all brainwashed junkie, didn't I?"

"Just a bit. Do you remember what you said?" the Doctor asked carefully.

She frowned. "Not really. I just remember feeling stupidly happy, and then -" She pulled up short in horrified realization. "Did I make you cry?"

The Doctor just laughed, surprising her. "If it gets you out of that trance, I'll do just about anything. You don't need to worry about it, though. You're out of it now, and that's all that matters," he told her, dodging the question.

"Yeah, emphasis on the 'out of it' part," she muttered before straightening. "I don't think we have that much time, though. It's been getting worse. I don't know how much longer I have before it comes back permanently."

"Yeah, about that. Your symptoms seem to be different than everyone else's," the Doctor mentioned curiously. "None of the others mentioned anything about feeling dizzy or nauseous, and when you came out of your trance, you came completely out of it. Howie never did."

He frowned thoughtfully. "And that's another thing. Howie became completely entranced within half an hour of finding his room, and died shortly thereafter. If you've been feeling sick since then, that means you found your room around the same time, if not before. So why are you still yourself?"

"Well," Lyssa hedged, avoiding his gaze when he frowned at her. "If what I can recall is correct, I don't think Rita went all insane-y either when she found her room. She was calm until the end. And then..."

She sighed. "Then she died. And there was nothing you could do." She grimaced, her temple starting to throb, and rubbed the spot gingerly. "You got them out though, in the end. But it was a high cost."

"You mentioned something about sacrificing your faith to stop the beast." The Doctor's gaze fixed on her. "I had to sacrifice their faith in me. That I could save them."

She nodded unhappily. "I'm sorry. But aside from the TARDIS magically showing up right now, I think our chance to stop the Minotaur is one of us losing one of their fundamental faiths." She snorted. "Easy, right? Argh!" She winced when the throbbing behind her temple switched to a team of jackhammers. "This stupid headache won't go away!"

The Doctor's face changed to one of concern, and he leaned, as if he could somehow spot the cause of her headache from outside. "Do you feel any different?" he asked cautiously.

"If you mean am I still terrified of us all getting eaten by a Barney reject, then yes," she grumbled. "And yes, I am aware that that was mean. I don't care. I already almost got turned into brain soup once today, and I don't need it to happen again so soon! Owww," her complaint turned into a whine as the headache started to spread. "Why is it getting worse?"

"Lyssa, please, this is important. I think it's about to take you again. If I'm to have any chance of stopping it, I need to know what you saw in your room," he pleaded.

She shook her head, relaxing as the pain slowly dissipated into nothing and her fears dwindled away again. "You don't need to worry about me, Doctor." She patted him on the arm reassuringly when he just looked sadder. "He'll look out for me. He'll look out for you, too, if you let him," she offered.

The Doctor grit his teeth. "I think I'm a bit more concerned with why he hasn't fully taken you yet. You were with Rory when the beast left. Why didn't he take you then?"

Lyssa shrugged uncaringly. "I don't think I was ready. I didn't want to leave you behind. I knew you would worry."

"I hate to inform you, but I rather think you made me worry even more when you ran off, leaving just your necklace behind," he informed her sharply, eyes narrowed. "Why did you take it off?"

She blinked up at him, unsure why he was suddenly so upset. "Because I knew I had to follow him, and I didn't want you to worry if I left Rory there all alone. And I knew I couldn't leave you my journal, because there are spoilers in there, so I decided to leave you my necklace, so that you knew I would be all right." She giggled. "What else was I supposed to leave you, my shoes?"

"I might have appreciated that more, I think," he remarked sarcastically. "If you can still hear me, Lyssa, if you're still in there, I've got it safe in my pocket. I'll hold on for it until you come back. I think you'd appreciate that." His eyes narrowed. "But time's passing, and that's something we don't have much of. Lyssa, what did you see in your room? What are you so afraid of?"

She studied him for a long minute, eyes searching his. "My future," she said simply at last.

"What?" He frowned, disconcerted. "Your future?"

She nodded easily. "I was afraid of who I'd become in the future. I am changing, you know," she reminded him, holding up her hand and examining it, twisting it back and forth. "As much as I may still look human on the outside, I'm no longer quite so human on the inside. And from what I understand, the process happens several times over, changing me more each time." She shrugged. "How long would it be before I lost my humanity as well?"

"Oh, Lyssa," the Doctor said again, eyes sad.

She shook a finger at him. "Don't you go getting all sad-eyed on me, mister! I am perfectly happy now that I've seen the light! He's coming for me, and it is glorious."

The Doctor's face changed. "Lyssa, don't say it. Please, don't say it."

"But why shouldn't I give him the honor he deserves?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "I just want to thank him for all he's done." She closed her eyes, barely even hearing the Doctor's shouts as she held out her arms in welcome. "Praise him."

An image of the beast flashed into her mind, and she smiled, knowing he was coming for her. She opened her eyes, turning to look at the horrified Doctor. "I'm ready now," she told him happily. "He's coming for me, and I'm so happy!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "Isn't this just the best thing ever?"

"I think it's horrific," he told her grimly, grabbing her elbow and tugging her to her feet. "I think we should take a little walk, don't you?"

"But that'll make it harder for him to find me," she complained, dragging her feet as he pulled her down the hallway.

"That would be the point."

She pouted, but went along with him anyways. They turned three corners before finding themselves back at Reception, and the stairs no longer present.

The Doctor grimaced. "I think we're running out of time. We may just need to do this in one of the rooms."

"He's coming closer," Lyssa sang. "Isn't he just so amazing?"

"Well, I rather think he would be a heap more amazing if he weren't trying to kill my friends, but whatever floats your boat."

"You're just grumpy because I know what's going to happen, and it's so amazing!" Lyssa declared excitedly, bouncing up and down as they ran. "I just want to praise him all day!" The Doctor stopped short, and she nearly bumped into his back before managing to stop herself. "Doctor?"

"I'm grumpy because you know what's going to happen. I'm grumpy, because you know what's going to happen. Because you _know_ what's going to happen," the Doctor repeated, muttering. He turned around to stare at her.

"You're afraid of the future, of your future, but you know what's going to happen. Every time you start to feel a headache before you go into the trance, you make some comment related to what you know about the future."

He released her and started pacing back and forth, hands running through his hair. "And back in the dining hall! When you said you trusted me with your journal because you knew me. And you immediately flinched like someone had struck you! And when you told us what you knew about how to stop it, you were pale and shaky."

He stopped in the middle of his loop and stared at her again. "And Rory! He said that you mentioned looking ahead several times, and each time you got dizzy and nearly fell over."

Lyssa raised her eyebrows at him, deciding to humor him until the beast came along and saved her. She could feel the ecstasy starting to slip away, and hurried to speak, hoping that his words would send her back into it somehow. "Your point?"

"My point," he pointed a finger at her, "is that each time you make a comment related to knowing the future, the worship tries to take over you. It's not targeting your religious faith, or faith in someone like me, or the TARDIS, or anyone else." He stepped up close to her, looking down at her with sorrow in his eyes. "You're afraid of the future, so you rely on your knowledge of it to keep your fear at bay. You hope that it will grant you some measure of safety."

Lyssa looked back up at him, tears working their way into her eyes at the undeniable truth in his words. "I don't want to become her," she said brokenly. "Uncaring, unfeeling. Seeking only to hurt others, and deriving pleasure from it. And... I'm so afraid that that's going to be me in a few years. That one day, I'll just wake up, and I won't be me anymore."

The Doctor's expression shattered, and he pulled her into a tight hug, holding her close to him as she broke down. "Oh, my fairy-girl. I'm so sorry," he murmured. "I never meant for you to take it that way. You always seemed to believe that you would never lose yourself, that as long as you kept your humanity it didn't matter what your race was. I never looked deeper than that, and I'm sorry. I should have realized. Even the Cybermen. You always hated them more than the Daleks because of what they mean to the human race. I should have realized, and I didn't. I'm so sorry."

Lyssa shook her head, keeping her face buried in his shirt, a few tears leaking out of her shirt and dampening the material. "It's not your fault what I'm afraid of." A growl filled the air and they both froze.

She looked up at him with frightened eyes. "Doctor, please don't let it take me," she begged, suddenly afraid. "I know what I said earlier, but I don't want it to take me, please don't let it take me."

He stepped back a little, and his hands came up to cup her face as the beast growled again, sounding closer this time. "Lyssa, as much as I want to promise you that, I can't. You're going to have to face your fears if you want to get out of this alive."

"But you helped Amy in the original episode," she cried, shuddering as her eyes glazed over briefly before returning to normal. "Why can't you help me?"

"Lyssa, think about why you're asking that," he said urgently. "You're asking me that because you know that that's what happened in what you saw. But that was wrong! Amy isn't being targeted right now, you are! And there's nothing your powers can do to save you when you die in a few moments!"

She closed her eyes when she heard the beast growl again, a few tears trickling out past her lid. "It's not working," she gasped out a moment later, wet eyes flying open. "You need to get out of here before the beast tries to get you, too. I don't want you to have to die for me."

"Haven't you learned by now, fairy-girl?" the Doctor asked tenderly, thumbs stroking her cheeks. "It's the Doctor and his fairy-girl together, against the universe. Together or not at all."

Lyssa blinked back more tears, seeing the beast round the corner and start charging at them from behind the Doctor, its horns scraping on the low ceiling. She closed her eyes, trying again, determined not to let the Doctor die for her because of something she could prevent. Focused on every memory she had of her changing time from how it should be. Focused on all the times things had changed on their own, without any interference from her.

"I make my own choices," she forced out, encouraged by the Doctor's steady support even as the beast grew closer, reaching out to touch them. "My life is my own, and I make my own future. And I will _not_ let you take that from me."

She shuddered as a wave of energy washed over her, wiping away the fog that had been threatening to take over entirely.

It was over.

* * *

 **A/N: This episode... I love it and I hate it at the same time. :/ All well, it's over now. Except for the repercussions... ;)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to TheProtectorOfHim, yellowroseofthenw, Mikari Satsuke, Arkytior's Song, afionna262, amrawo, Alix Winchester, abbynormal315, and ZaraSwann for reviewing! (Holy crap, you guys! I got 9 reviews this chapter! That's amazing, thank you all so much!)**

 ** _TheProtectorOfHim: He is. I love Rory. If I had to pick one companion to be friends with, it would probably be Rory, simply because we're so similar personality wise. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _yellowroseofthenw: Well, hopefully it's a good rollercoaster, lol. Yep. Lyssa's not exactly in her right mind right now, as you can tell. Things are a little out of whack. But maybe, just maybe, things'll start to clear up soon. ;) Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :D_**

 ** _Mikari Satsuke: Yay! I'm glad you like my characterization of Rory! I have many plans for him in the future. ;) Haha, no worries. You can also PM me with a guess, or question, or whatever. Fair warning, though, I'm awful about returning PMs because I keep forgetting about them, and they don't show up on the app on my phone. Still no answers about what the Doctor saw, but I'll give you a hint - chapter 37. ;D And yes, this is the longest episode ever, oh my gosh. :P I'm planning on an original adventure coming up soon, so we'll see where that takes us lol. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 ** _Arkytior's Song: Aww, I'm glad you like it so much! That makes me so happy! (And I love your name, btw. It's so pretty) Thanks for a wonderful review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _afionna262: Yep! I have special plans for Rory and Lyssa. :) I'm glad you like my characterization of him! And things are really just kind of going downhill for Lyssa today, lol. Maybe things will finally start to calm down after this? Who knows? ;) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _amrawo: Yay! I'm so glad you like my story! I love hearing from my readers, especially when they're awesome ones like this one! And yep! I know that there are a lot of cliches associated with this trope, so aside from the one where the Doctor kisses her in chapter 7 (which, come on, is kind of obligatory by this point), I'm trying to make my story unique from all the other ones - which are all good, btw). That's an interesting theory you have there about Lyssa. ;) It'd be a shame if someone didn't confirm it for you either way. *whistles innocently* Haha, all will be revealed in time, including the Oracle, the Siren, the Ranger, Lyssa, and the people at Canary Wharf. And there will absolutely be more fluff soon. I'm actually planning on a fair amount next chapter, and would have included it in this one, there just wasn't enough time. Thanks for a great review, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Alix Winchester: Hahahaha, such are the woes of life, I'm afraid. But hey, at least there's a new chapter now! And things are finally getting started on their way to resolution lol. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _abbynormal315: Aww, you're gonna make me cry! *Cries anyway* Oh, yeah, don't forget to check your PM inbox! I had a few options for the D of the D oneshot that you won, but I'm not sure if you got them or not because I used the app, which is notoriously unreliable when it comes to PMs for me. If you didn't, let me know, and I'll resend them to you, or you can just pick which one you'd prefer here (happy or sad?) and I'll send you the oneshot. Thanks for an awesome review (it seriously made my day) and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 ** _ZaraSwann: Hahaha, well, let's just say that I definitely have plans for Mickey and Martha. And yes, they may or may not end up married... (clear as mud, right?) I will say that I think they work well together. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :D_**

 **Thank you all for reading and voting, and I hope you all enjoyed!**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	62. Chapter 62 - Checking Out

When Lyssa opened her eyes, the hotel was gone, replaced by a black room with a lit grid floor. It was empty of decoration, save for an instrument panel against the wall on the far side, and the TARDIS, safely nestled in one corner.

Amy, Rory, Rita, and Gibbis were there, too, blinking in confusion at the sudden change in scenery. Amy and Rita both seemed upset, Gibbis looked visibly distraught, and Rory appeared to be a mixture of both defiance and shame, slowly dropping from a confrontational posture in front of the cowering alien to a more relaxed stance.

The Doctor, however, his hands still on her cheeks, looked almost ecstatic. "I knew you could do it, fairy-girl," he grinned, pulling her in for a triumphant kiss on the forehead before releasing her and spinning around. He lost his smile almost immediately, his arms falling to his sides. "Oh."

Lyssa peered around him, eyes going wide. The beast, something she vaguely remembered as something glorified and praise-worthy, was laying on the floor, visibly weakened and dying.

"What's wrong with it?" Rita asked hesitantly, staying well away from the creature. "Its pull is gone, and it's obviously dying. What happened?"

"Lyssa severed his food supply," the Doctor answered quietly, not lifting his eyes from the beast. "She sacrificed her faith, and the loss of it was enough to imbalance the system. The sudden reversal of energy was too much, and crashed the system." His voice softened, taking on a sympathetic note. "Gave him the space to die."

"What is it, though?" Amy asked curiously. "Lyssa mentioned it being a Minotaur earlier. Is it like the Minotaurs in the Greek legends? Or an alien? An alien Minotaur?" She shook her head, wrinkling her nose. "And that's _not_ a question I thought I'd be asking when I got up this morning."

"Both, actually," the Doctor agreed, striding over to the instrument panel and pulling up some information, quickly scrolling through it. "Yeah, here we go. Distant cousin of the Nimon. They descend on planets and set themselves up as gods to be worshipped. Which is all well and good until the inhabitants get all secular and advanced enough to build bonkers prisons." He waved a hand around at their surroundings.

"Correction: Prisons in space," Rory corrected him, staring out a small viewing window. "Still bonkers, but... more space."

"So... where are all the guards, then?" Amy asked with a frown, looking around. "If they need people with faith that badly, surely they'd need guards to keep them all here."

The Doctor shrugged. "No need for any. It's all automated. It drifts through space, snatching people with belief systems and converts their faith into food for the creature. Rory wasn't religious or superstitious, so it didn't want him. That's why it kept showing him an exit, but not us. We all had some form of faith that it could use. Not just religious faith, faith in something. Anything."

He began to wave his hands about wildly in the air as he talked, pacing the length of the room. "Howard believed in conspiracies, external forces controlling the world. Joe had dice cufflinks and a chain with a horseshoe. He was a gambler. Gamblers believe in luck, an intangible force that helps them win or lose."

He glanced over at the group as he continued his explanation. "Gibbis rejected personal autonomy and is waiting for the next batch of invaders to tell him what to do. They all believe there's something guiding them, about to save them. That's what it replaces. Every time someone was confronted with their most primal fear, they fell back on one of their most fundamental faiths."

"It didn't want just me," Amy realized. "So, you must believe in some god or someone, or they'd have shown you the door, too. So what do Time Lords pray to? Or is it some other kind of faith?" She cocked her head at him curiously. "What do you believe in, Doctor?"

The Doctor stopped mid-step, looking at her without speaking before turning and let his gaze fall on Lyssa. She shifted uncomfortably, unsure what he was trying to tell her, before he eventually turned back to the instrument panel and changing the subject.

"According to the in-flight recorder, the program developed glitches. It got stuck on the same setting. The fears from the people before us weren't tidied away."

The beast growled something, its voice shaking and faltering at times, though the Doctor listened carefully.

"What's it saying? And why isn't the TARDIS translating it?" Amy asked.

The Doctor's brow furrowed as he translated. "'An ancient creature, drenched in the blood of the innocent, drifting in space through an endless, shifting maze. For such a creature, death would be a gift.'" He knelt and put his hand on the beast's. "Then accept it. And sleep well."

He stood up, starting to walk away, only to pause when the beast spoke again. "'I wasn't talking about myself.'" He glanced down at his hands, holding his palms out before him as if looking for the blood on them before shaking his head and continuing on towards the TARDIS.

The others slowly trickled in after him, although Lyssa hesitated, slowing to a stop when she came to the beast. Its eyes were closed, each breath labored and strained. It opened its eyes as she knelt down beside it, feeling a strange ache in her heart as she watched it die.

"I don't agree with what you did," she whispered, resting her hand gingerly atop its hoof. "But you didn't entirely have a choice, and no one should die alone. Rest in peace."

Its eyes focused on hers before relaxing completely as one last breath left its body. She blinked several times before she fully comprehended that it was dead, and rocked back on her heels, unsure what to feel. On the one hand, this was a creature ultimately responsible for the death of thousands, and had terrorized her and her friends, _and_ not to mention had brainwashed her almost to her death.

But on the other hand...

On the other hand...

She didn't know why she felt the way she did. Just that she felt strangely sad, watching the beast lay there limply on the floor. The last of an ancient species, now gone. She felt a hand descend on her shoulder and looked up to see the Doctor watching her with understanding in his eyes.

"Let's go home, Lyssa."

She nodded, taking one last look at the beast before standing up with a sigh. "Yeah. Let's go."

It was silent in the TARDIS when they walked in. Rory and Amy were huddled together with their arms around each other by the stairs, and Rita had her arms wrapped protectively around her midsection, staring at the console room with shock and awe. Gibbis was standing on the complete opposite side of the room of Rory, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Anywhere in the nearest galaxy will do," Gibbis spoke up suddenly as they entered, the Doctor shutting the door behind them. "I can find my way home from there."

The Doctor nodded once sharply. Inputting the information to the console, the TARDIS quickly took off and landed once more with a wheeze. Waving a hand at the doors, he didn't bother raising his voice in farewell as Gibbis left.

In fact, Rita was the only one to wish him luck as he left, although even she sounded subdued as she did so. Lyssa nodded in farewell, but held herself back from actually saying goodbye, not quite liking the alien enough to do so in light of his ugly cowardice. The Doctor perked up slightly once he was gone, asking Rita where and when she would like to be returned to.

"I thought you said you were taking me on as her replacement?" she teased him instead, a faint smile lighting up her face and nodding her head at Amy, who looked offended.

The Doctor made a considering motion. "Thought about it, yeah. But in the end, if she goes, Beaky does too." He jerked a thumb at Rory, who looked more offended. "And that would make Lyssa cross, and we can't have that. The TARDIS would take her side, and there are no good places on a ship to hide when said ship is sentient and cross at you." He shrugged, taking on a more serious tone. "Besides. Something tells me you might be of more use back in your hospital. Saving lives. Helping people."

Rita tilted her head at him, considering him for a minute. Then, "Royal Hope Hospital, London. January 2007. Not sure why you need the year..." She eyed him. "Is this the part where you tell me your spaceship also travels in time?"

The Doctor nodded sheepishly. "Sorry?"

Rita shook her head, smiling. "Don't be. I don't think I have it in me to be surprised anymore. Next thing you'll be telling me that you're not human either."

The Doctor hesitated.

Rita closed her eyes and sighed. "Don't tell me. You just look human?"

"You know, I think we should really be getting you back to your job," the Doctor said suddenly, bending over the console and starting to work rapidly. "You seem like a capable human, congratulations on that, by the way. They'll probably be missing you. There aren't enough competent nurses in the world."

"Ain't that the truth," Rory muttered bitterly.

"Sorry?" Rita asked, looking over at the couple.

"Don't mind him," Amy assured her, leaning her head against her husband's arm. "He's just grumpy because he's had to pick up the slack a lot for the latest in a stream of incompetent nurses at his job."

"We're here," the Doctor announced, landing them with one final groan of the ship.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked teasingly, looking around. "I didn't go flying across the ship once. What have you done?"

Rita crossed to the door and looked outside experimentally. "It looks like my job. Unless this is another alien thing? Will I find something strange if I go inside this one? More monsters from the myths of old? Sirens in the bathtubs, perhaps?"

The Doctor tensed, but passed it off as a shrug. "Some evil can't be destroyed, only trapped," he said seriously, before quickly changing to a more lighthearted tone. "But, unless my ship is lying to me - and we've talked about this, it should no longer be an issue - you are at a completely normal, one hundred percent human hospital. Well. I say one hundred percent. I may have rounded up a bit. Possibly a lot."

He clapped his hands together at Amy's stern look. "But nothing to be worried about, all normal people living their extraordinary, normal lives." He paused. "Whatever that's like. I'm told I've never quite achieved that before when I've tried it. Something about the bow tie."

Rita stared at him for a moment before smiling softly. "I still think you take on more of a burden than you should. It's not your responsibility to save everyone, no matter what you think. And it's not your fault if they die. Sometimes, that's just life, and there's nothing you can do about it." She smiled crookedly. "Trust me, I'm a nurse."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her, visibly impressed and somewhat amused. "You're very clever, Rita. I like you."

"Thank you. I think I like you too." She nodded at them all. "It was... nice meeting you all, I suppose, even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances. Will I see you again?"

The Doctor grinned. "If we're lucky."

She smiled again, opening the door once more and stepping out before turning around. "For what it's worth, I think you're a good man. And I think that's all you need to be. Goodbye, Doctor."

He smiled genuinely. "Goodbye, Rita."

xXx

Silence descended once more after she left, all of them still reeling from the events of the day. Amy and Rory eventually left for their room, declaring that they were taking the rest of the day off. Lyssa stared after them for a moment before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She desperately needed a shower, some hot chocolate - or even chocolate milk, she just wanted chocolate at this point, she wasn't picky - and some time to fill out her journal.

Stretching, she groaned as something popped in her back before sighing. "I'm gonna -"

"Will you -"

They both started to speak at once, then stopped, gesturing for the other to continue. After a few more awkward starts and stops, she just decided to speak and get it over with - she was way too done with the day for this.

"I'm gonna go take a shower and burn these clothes. You wouldn't happen to have some gasoline and a match on hand, would ya?" she asked, only half joking.

He waved a hand in the air. "Just leave them on the floor, the TARDIS'll take care of it. But... after you're done cleaning up, would you mind... meeting with me afterwards? I realize you're probably tired," he added hastily. "But there are a few things I think we need to talk about."

Lyssa nodded slowly, her tired mind pulling up first her necklace, and then her room, and what had followed shortly thereafter. "Yeah. We do need to talk," she admitted. "But, could it wait? I've had my brain played with twice today, not counting what you had to do to help out, which would bring it to like five times, I've almost died..."

She paused to think about it, then shook her head. "I don't even know anymore, but at least twice today, probably more times than that. I really need to update my journal, and I've had a few unwanted insights to my psyche that I'm going to have to deal with as well. Is there any way we can postpone this discussion?"

"Of course," the Doctor agreed immediately, having grown more concerned with every word she'd said. "Do you want to meet up in the library? Or our room?" His eyes went wide when hers did, and he threw his hands up in the air as if to ward off her resulting blush.

"Not like that! I mean our room, the one we share -" He stopped and sighed, covering his eyes with his hands, choosing his words slowly and carefully when he next spoke. "The room that's modeled after both of our home planets, that belongs to us."

Lyssa couldn't help the snicker that slipped out, despite the mortified blush covering her cheeks. "Sure. I don't suppose you'd like to share a cup of hot chocolate with me afterwards?"

"Lyssaaaaa," he whined, sounding more like a three year old than a thousand year old alien.

She laughed, feeling something loosen in her chest as she did so. "I'm just kidding. You're getting your own cup. I don't want to share with you. You might have cooties." She pretended to shudder.

"You know what, I was going to offer to bring along one of those Agatha Christie books and read it aloud like we did before, but I'm just feeling so attacked right now," he complained.

She covered her mouth, which did absolutely nothing to muffle the giggle that slipped out. "Poor baby. I'm gonna go shower, and I'm going to take a long one. So... meet you at... _our_ room," she emphasized the word with glee at his groan, "in about forty-five minutes?"

"Fine. But if you're late, I'm going to assume that you've been attacked by wild Gretnas and respond accordingly," he threatened.

"And that would be how?" she retorted calmly, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the threat.

"Wrapping you in bubble wrap until you're a hundred," he responded promptly. "You think I'm joking now," he continued a moment later over her laughter. "But let's see if you say that in fifty years time, when you're still hearing popping sounds everywhere you go!"

"Yeah, okay. Have fun with your daydreams, see ya in a bit," she called, already deciding that she was going to show up in forty-six minutes instead, just to mess with him.

Scampering off to her room, her lighthearted mood disappeared as quickly as it had come as she picked out a comfortable pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt to wear. Gratefully shedding her old clothes onto the floor of her bathroom, she wrinkled her nose as she had to touch the cobwebs still stuck to them to push them off.

"Why did it have to be spiders?" she whispered, stepping into the shower and turning on the hot water. "Why couldn't it have been for someone who was scared of teddy bears, or flowers, or something nice like that? Was that really so much to ask for?"

She washed her hair thoroughly at least twice before scrubbing her body with enough soap to leave nearly an inch of bubbles covering the bottom of the rather large shower. She would have stayed there longer after she was clean, but now that she actually had time to think to herself... she found that she didn't want to.

Her mind kept wandering to places she didn't want it to, and slid away from the places she did. And all alone as she was, it was just too eerie for her to remain much longer. So, reluctantly turning the water off, she dried off, dressed, and combed through her hair, pulling it into a low ponytail once she was done.

Then, tucking her journal into a pocket - she loved the clothes she got on the TARDIS, they all had pockets - she set off for the kitchen. Quickly making two cups of her hot chocolate recipe, she set off for the Gallifrey Room, despite being at least twenty minutes early.

She found the Doctor waiting outside anyways. His hair was wet, obviously still drying from his own brief shower, and he'd lost his more formal wear, clad in simply a pair of pants and a sweater. "Well, you're here early. I expected you to be late deliberately, just to put me in my place," he remarked, raising his eyebrows.

Lyssa hummed, not willing to admit she'd been planning on doing just that. "Mind getting the door?" she asked, lifting one cup-filled hand to gesture at the door.

The Doctor pretended to consider it. "That depends. Do I have to share a doorway with you when we go in? I don't know if I can do that. Just because you showered doesn't mean you're actually clean, you know."

Lyssa glared at him. "I will lick your glass," she warned him, raising the glass in her right hand threateningly.

He just looked amused. "Go right ahead. I've had worse."

"Had worse, or licked worse?" she grumbled as he opened the door anyways. "If I recall correctly, your last self had some sort of thing where he licked things all the time to figure out what they were."

They both relaxed ever so slightly as soon as they entered the room, the mild breeze ruffling their hair and making tiny ripples in the hot chocolate in her hands. Walking until they came to the waterfall again, the Doctor pulled a large blanket out from a basket that hadn't been there a moment ago, and spread it out for them to sit on. She did so gratefully, handing him his cup and taking a sip of her own.

"I occasionally get different abilities with each regeneration," he informed her. "With my eight self, it was unintentional, clear glimpses into a person's past or future. With my tenth... it was the ability to test the composition of an object by taste. I obviously have no control over what talents I may or may not have each go around."

"Uh-huh. Sounds like an excuse to me," Lyssa said disbelievingly, digging in her pocket and pulling out her journal and a pencil. "You're just weird. And you possibly have cooties."

He tsked. "I'd be more annoyed if you hadn't brought me the hot chocolate. As it is, I've graciously decided to forgive you."

"Well, the only thing you've done for me so far is reluctantly hold open a door for me when my hands were full, so..." Lyssa let her voice trail off, smirking. "But I suppose I could be persuaded to forgive you if you actually take us to some nice vacation planet tomorrow. Maybe we can talk there, after we've all had some time to relax and recuperate."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully, actually taking her seriously as she flipped to an empty page and started to scribble in her journal. "And I need to have a talk with Amy as well," he said heavily. "This trip... has brought more than a few things to light, not all of them pleasant."

Lyssa snorted, only half listening. "Were any of them pleasant? And more importantly, is the planet actually pleasant?"

"Very pleasant, actually," the Doctor assured her. "It was designed to be a vacation planet with humans in mind. Think beaches. Tropical. Bananas, and other wonderful things like that."

"So... it's safe then?" Lyssa asked skeptically, raising her head from her journal to eye him. "No revolution that'll be bound to happen as soon as we land, no poisons in the water, or venomous creatures out to eat us?"

"Completely safe," the Doctor promised her. "It's a beautiful, peaceful planet. I don't think you'll regret going."

xXx

"I am very much regretting coming right now!" Lyssa complained as she slammed the door shut to the TARDIS behind her, her chest heaving as she gulped down air. "You said we would be safe, and the next thing I know, you're telling me to run for the TARDIS!"

"Coming here was definitely a mistake," the Doctor agreed breathlessly, leaning heavily against the console.

"No, really? What gives you that idea?" she asked sarcastically.

"Well, for one thing, I'm going to pass out in about three seconds," he informed her, completely serious. "Do please try to catch me before I hit anything, I'd hate to wind up bruised."

"Wait, what?"

She had just enough time to gape at him before his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out, limp form falling freely to the floor. He would have landed face-first had she not caught him with a grunt, shifting his heavy form until she could gently lay him on the floor just as a panicked Rory burst into the room, Amy's unconscious body hanging limply in his arms.

"What happened?" she demanded, torn between scrambling up to check on them and staying by the Doctor.

Rory solved the dilemma by crouching down beside her and laying Amy by the Doctor. "I don't know," he said grimly. "But Amy and the Doctor have both just lost about six inches of height, so whatever it is, it works fast."

"What?"

Lyssa stared at him uncomprehendingly until the words finally registered in her brain, and then she swung around to stare at her two unconscious friends, only to find that they were indeed noticeably shorter, and their faces were rounder and younger, as if the baby fat had returned once more to their faces and sucked away the years that age and time had given them.

"What the heck is happening?" she asked slowly, reaching out and touching them to confirm that what she was seeing was real, and not some strange hallucination.

"Okay, my wife just lost about ten years of her life, that's normal, right?" Rory said sarcastically, only sounding slightly hysterical.

"Yeah, completely," Lyssa agreed distractedly, watching in disbelief as the Doctor's face gradually become more and more childlike. His clothes grew bigger and bigger on his frame until his pants were laying limply on the floor, and a small pair of feet were poking out the bottom of his shirt. "You're seeing this too, right?" she asked.

"If you mean the fact that my wife is now a three-year-old, then yes," Rory confirmed dazedly. "I am seeing this. Not sure I want to, but I am."

Lyssa looked between the two sleeping children, one with red curls falling about her chubby cheeks as she slept, and the other, his chin prominent even as a child, his brown locks casting a shadow over his face. "Rory, how did this happen? They were only gone for like, an hour!"

He just shook his head dumbly, both of them starting when the child-Doctor snorted in his sleep before rolling over. "I don't even know where to go from here. The Doctor's become a child! And so has my wife!"

The door to the TARDIS swung open, and an angry voice filled the room as a redheaded woman stalked in, bags tossed over one arm. London accent strong, the woman demanded, "Oi, spaceman, what did I tell you about forgettin' me on an alien planet?"

* * *

 **A/N: Yes. This is a weird ending. And it only gets weirder from here. (But hopefully good weird, not bad weird). On the bright side, this should prove to be an interesting adventure. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

 **On the down side... this could prove to be an interesting adventure. D:**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to amrawo, yellowroseofthenw, afionna262, Alix Winchester, Mikari Satsuke, ThatBlueStrawberry, and LilactheDryad for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa and the odd, misshapen plot bunnies here and there.**


	63. Chapter 63 - Identity Crisis

"It's not that ruddy hard to remember, you know," Donna continued to complain, dropping her bags on the ground with a huff. "Taking Donna to visit alien planets: good. Leavin' Donna on said alien planets: bad! Can you get that through your thick skull, or is all that hair gel you use gettin' in the way?"

"D-Donna?" Lyssa stuttered, staring at the woman with wide eyes.

The redhead turned in surprise, rolling her eyes when she saw the younger girl. "Oh. Well. Now I'm not surprised. You're here." She threw her hands up in the air in an exaggerated shrug. "Why wouldn't he forget all about me? Loses all brain cells the second you show up, I swear."

Her gaze swung around the TARDIS, wrinkling her nose as she took in the orange glass tones that had replaced the dark brown of her Doctor. "How long have I been gone? You've redecorated. I don't think I like it."

She turned back to Lyssa, only then noticing the two toddlers and still-stunned grown man next to her. She blinked. "How long _have_ I been gone?"

"What?" Rory just stared, open-mouthed. "I'm sorry. But... who are you, and what are you doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Donna Noble, best temp in Chiswick, underpaid babysitter of a space dumbo. Now, not to be rude, sunshine, but what the flip are you doing on the TARDIS? Last I heard, Lyssa was the only strange brunette the Doctor just let wander around the TARDIS."

Not letting him respond, she turned back to Lyssa. "What's he doing on the TARDIS? And why," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "are there two sleeping toddlers in adult clothing on the floor?"

Lyssa just shook her head at her helplessly. "I think I know less about what's going on than I did before," she muttered. "Rory, can you pinch me? I think I'm dreaming."

"Only if you promise to return the favor," he returned, pinching her anyways.

"Ow!" She jolted, rubbing the now red spot on her arm. "Okay, not a dream. Um... things just went from weird to infinitely worse. Donna? Are you really here?"

"Well I sure hope I am, or things are about to get really awkward," the older woman retorted, crossing her arms. "Where's the Doctor?"

Rory finally found his voice, his eyes dropping to the sleeping form on the floor. "Uh... he's currently unavailable. I don't suppose you would be willing to leave a message?"

Donna snorted. "Oh, I'll leave a message, all right. Oi, spaceman!" she shouted, striding to the stairs leading to the hallway and raising her voice. "You have a few guests in the console room, might want to pop down and take a look!"

She cast a skeptical glance at the child-form of the Eleventh Doctor and turned back to the stairs. "A child who coincidentally looks like a cross between you and Lyssa is here! Feel free to come down and give me an explanation before I start making one up!"

"Donna!" Lyssa hissed in mortification, cheeks rapidly turning red. "What are you doing?"

The woman didn't even spare her a glance. "What's it look like I'm doing? I'm calling the Doctor down here. That man has a lot to answer for. And for the record, as much as I claimed that I babysit a space dumbo, I'd rather not take care off his offspring. One's bad enough."

"Donna! That's the Doctor!" Lyssa finally cried, thrusting one hand at the young Doctor and using the other to cover her now scarlet face.

"Right," Donna scoffed. "And I'm the Queen of England. Go on. Pull the other one."

"No, Donna, I'm telling the truth, please believe me," Lyssa pleaded. "That's a future version of the Doctor, and the redheaded girl next to him is Amy, both of them have been turned into toddlers. We - Rory and I - don't know how, and we don't know why, but I swear I am not related to either one of them, and I am this close to having a mental breakdown." She held her fingers a centimeter apart.

"Please. I don't know if you know me that well by this point, but even if you don't, think on all your adventures with the Doctor and tell me - would this really be that strange a possibility?"

Donna frowned, her expression changing. "You're - you're being serious," she said slowly.

"Yeah, that was about my reaction, too," Rory muttered.

"But, but, but -" she lifted a slightly shaky finger to point at the sleeping Doctor. "He's a toddler!"

"Yes."

"He wasn't before."

"... No."

"Right. I think I need to sit down now," Donna said faintly, grabbing onto the console with one hand and sitting down on the floor, landing with a thump that indicated more speed than may have been planned.

Ever the nurse, Rory moved to crouch beside her, taking her wrist in one hand to check her pulse. "If you feel faint, just put your head between your knees and focus on taking deep breaths," he coached her.

She batted his hands away angrily. "I'm fine, I don't need a doctor. I already have one, he's just apparently been turned into a flippin' toddler!" she cried, ignoring his protests.

The child Doctor stirred, turning onto his side and mumbling in his sleep. They all froze, waiting with bated breaths as he yawned cutely before opening his eyes, revealing blue-green irises that were already bright with curiosity. They blinked up at the ceiling before he turned his head and his gaze landed on Lyssa. A wide smile broke out on his face, revealing dimples in his chubby cheeks.

"'Sa!" he cried in a high-pitched voice, scrambling to his feet and flinging himself at her.

She caught him automatically, arms wrapping around him to support his back and hold him on her lap. "Doctor!" She leaned back from the sudden armful of boy. "Doctor?" she asked warily. "Are you still in there? Do you remember me?"

"'Sa!" he cried happily again, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck and hugging her.

"Okay, I guess that answers one question," she muttered, unconsciously rubbing his back with one hand, only barely registering the fact that all he was wearing was his old shirt, now reaching down past his chubby little knees. "I'm assuming that ''Sa' refers to me."

"Yeah, but what about the rest of us?" Donna frowned, carefully stepping around the still-sleeping Amy and crouching by Lyssa and the Doctor. "Do you remember me, spaceman?" she asked the toddler, voice softer than normal.

Keeping one hand wrapped around Lyssa's back, the child leaned back to more fully examine Donna, lips forming into a pout as he studied her. At last he smiled slightly. "Don-na. _Loud_ ," he said proudly.

Lyssa tried to muffle her snort, but only ended up making it sound even louder. She tried to apologize as the redhead glared at her, but the toddler on her lap kept giggling infectiously and making her burst out into her own fit of giggles every time.

"'Sa make funny noise," he announced haltingly, booping her on the nose with a finger, making her go cross-eyed to look at it and resulting in him laughing once more.

"That's right, I did," she affirmed, making him beam with pride. She ghosted her fingers over his ribs, chuckling when he began to twist and squirm on her lap like a little wriggle worm, shrieking with laughter but refusing to let her go. "And you remembered me and Donna. Can you remember anyone else?" she asked carefully, turning him to face Rory and Amy.

"Uh..."

She couldn't help a snicker at the childish sound as he began to toss his head back and forth, clearly not paying that much attention to either of them.

"Do you remember me?" Rory asked quietly, crouching by Amy. "We travel together. Do you remember that?"

The child blinked at him with wide eyes. "Ree?" he said at last.

"That's right," Rory praised him. He seemed to catch himself a moment later, shaking his head. "I just praised my nine-hundred year old friend who looks like a toddler for remembering my name. Why am I not even that surprised?" he mumbled, rubbing his forehead

"I don't think he just looks like a toddler," Lyssa said carefully, letting the toddler play with her fingers as she focused on the nurse. "There was definitely some recognition in his eyes when he saw me, so I think he does remember me to some extent, but not completely. He appears to have the vocal skills and mindset of a toddler with some faint recognition of us, because he knew me right away, and he was able to figure out the two of you after just a moment, but he's acting an awful lot like the toddlers I used to babysit back in my old universe."

"So Amy will most likely be the same way?" Rory guessed.

Lyssa shrugged helplessly. "Amy and the Doctor are different species, and we don't even know why they suddenly started turning into children. We don't even know if they're done de-aging! For all we know, they'll react completely different, or start shrinking again. Or maybe they really do have the minds of their adult selves, and just can't express themselves because of their physical limitations. We really need to find out if their older selves are somehow still in there, what made them this way, and, most importantly, how to get them back to themselves."

Rory sighed. "So what you're saying is that we need a Doctor, then," he summed up despondently.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Well, I think you might just be in luck," Donna suddenly smirked, getting to her feet, causing the other two remaining adults to frown up at her in confusion.

"What are you -"

"Donna!" An Estuary English accent raised in concern suddenly filled the air, echoing through the still-open door into the console room. "It's not safe here, we need to leave! Donna, where are you?"

"I'm in here, Doctor," Donna called blithely, standing in the doorway and waving her arms before crossing over to lean against the console.

"Donna, that's the wrong TARDIS, you really shouldn't be going in there!" His voice raised in warning before the Tenth Doctor suddenly appeared in the doorway, glancing around the room for his missing companion and doing a double take when he saw Lyssa holding a toddler on the floor. "Lyssa?"

She grinned weakly. "Uh... hi?"

The small Doctor on her lap tightened his grip on her with his arm and glared up at his past self, who returned the gaze with bemusement.

"Mine."

"... What?"

Lyssa laughed nervously. "Ha ha, fancy seeing you here, Doctor... What _are_ you doing here, just out of curiosity?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Donna interrupted, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "He's here to pick up his kid, of course."

" _What_?"

"Yeah, that's why we're here, in'it?" Donna asked innocently. "I mean, he looks a lot like you, although I can't say as much for the ginger over there," she remarked, jerking a thumb at the still-sleeping Amy. "What else could it be? I mean, Lyssa's holdin' onto him like her life depends on it, and he seems to be doin' the same to her. Remind you of anyone?" She raised an eyebrow.

"WHAT?"

"Donna, what are you doing?" Lyssa asked nervously, eyeing the Tenth Doctor with trepidation. He looked a bit unsteady, wide-eyed gaze switching between Donna, Lyssa, and his future - younger? - self.

Donna blinked wide-eyed back at her. "Well, what else am I supposed to assume? The TARDIS brought us here for some reason, and then we find what can only be the TARDIS of his future self." She waved a hand wildly at the still visibly befuddled Doctor before waving it at Lyssa again. "And you're here, and you're holding a toddler who looks a lot like him. It's gotta be your kid from the future. Again, what else was I supposed to think? Am I wrong?" she challenged the brunette.

"Donna, we _literally_ just told you what happened!" Lyssa cried in exasperation.

Rory looked between the other three adults in growing confusion. "I'm sorry, but I know I'm missing something. _Who_ is _he_ ," he pointed at the Tenth Doctor, "and what are you both doing here?"

" _WHAT_?"

"Ooh, nice going," Donna complimented Rory, raising her hands and starting to applaud. "You just got four 'whats' in a row. His personal limit so far's been hovering around three. I think this is the first time I've seen him go past that."

"Yeah, I don't think that that's helping matters much," Lyssa interrupted, adjusting her hold on the wriggling toddler in her lap. "Rory, has the Doctor ever mentioned or explained the concept of regeneration to you?"

The nurse frowned, concentrating. After a beat he shook his head. "I don't think so, sorry. Or at least, he's mentioned it once or twice, but he's never explained it to us."

Lyssa sighed. "Of course he hasn't. Right, then. Time for a crash course in Time Lord Biology. When a Time Lord is about to die, they have the ability to rewrite their cells from scratch, healing themselves - regenerating new ones, as it were. Unfortunately, or fortunately as the case may be, their appearance changes as well. They're still the same person on the inside, but they look and act slightly different, as if you've downloaded your old files onto a new computer."

She took a breath. "So with that being said, Doctor, meet Rory Williams, nurse extraordinaire and future companion. Present companion? I don't know. Moving on. Rory, say hello to the past regeneration of the Doctor, known for his fabulous hair and his sandshoes."

"They're not - they're not sandshoes," the Doctor stammered, his gaze now fixated firmly on the face of the toddler in her lap.

"Ooh, now we've moved on from the repeated 'whats'," Donna muttered, crossing her arms and relaxing more firmly against the console. "I wonder what's going to happen next."

The Doctor reluctantly lifted his eyes from the toddler - who was currently making faces at him - to Lyssa's. "Lyssa?"

"Oh, and he turns to Lyssa for answers. Quelle surprise."

"Yeah, still not helping, Donna," the Doctor retorted in annoyance. "Lyssa? Would you mind explaining what in the name of Rassilon is really going on here?"

"Uh... Say hi to your future self?" she tried, lifting the toddler up in the air.

The child looked his past self up and down, appearing very unimpressed, then blew a raspberry at him.

"What." The Doctor said flatly.

"Aaand we're back to the whats again," Donna grumbled. "Could you try being a little more original next time, spaceman?"

"Donna, not now," the Doctor said sharply, not looking at her. "Lyssa," he said slowly and carefully. "Am I correct in assuming that you just told me that my future self is a baby?"

"Not baby!" the toddler interrupted crossly, crossing his arms and glaring at his past self. "Big boy!"

"Technically, yes," Lyssa agreed hesitantly, pulling the child back into a sitting position on her lap and trying not to smile at the betrayed look he shot her for agreeing with his past self. "Oh, and that's Amy over there," she waved a hand at the smaller redhead in the room.

"Normally I'd introduce her as my wife," Rory started, "but I'm not sure if the marriage contract was designed to hold up across sudden and random de-aging or not."

"Hold on - that's your wife?" Donna interrupted. "All right, where's the popcorn? I need something salty to go along with all this drama."

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. You're telling me that _that's_ me?" the Tenth Doctor said incredulously, pointing at the toddler.

"Bad point!" the child reprimanded him, shaking a chubby finger at him. "It's rude! Rude and not gin-ger," he added, looking up at Lyssa smugly at the last part.

She blinked, not sure how to respond to that before turning to Rory. "Well, I guess we know that he remembers more than just our names, now."

Rory frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Hold on. I'm a _toddler_?" the Doctor rubbed his temple with his fingers. "Lyssa, what did you do?"

She gaped at him, offended. "Me? Why am I responsible for this?"

"Isn't it obvious, sweetheart? You're responsible for him, hence you're responsible for this."

The Tenth Doctor closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up even more. "Donna, please."

The redhead just smirked. "I told you there would be consequences."

"One time. You mess up while fixing the blender one time, and you never live it down," he complained .

"It wasn't one time, and you didn't just mess up, you literally made it explode in my face," Donna called.

"Yes, all right, I get it -"

"All over my best blouse and trousers."

"Yes, I am aware of that, you made me very aware of that -"

"And it was _permanent_."

"I _did_ apologize _-_ "

"Weeks, I smelled like bananas and tomatoes. Weeks! Who mixes bananas and tomatoes? A nutter, that's who!"

"Donna, I can tell you with complete honesty that I am regretting a _lot_ of things right now."

"Okay, can we maybe get back to the matter at hand?" Lyssa intervened. "We don't know if what happened is permanent, or if it's going to keep going, or even how it happened. For all we know, we're next."

"Right." Shaking off his annoyance, the Doctor came and sat down across from Lyssa and his future self. "Why don't you tell me exactly what happened? Why did you come here?"

Lyssa exchanged glances with Rory and took a deep breath. The child Doctor on her lap, looking more solemn than he had since he'd woken up, sent a worried look up at her before cuddling into her chest. She rested a hand on his back, grateful for the unspoken support and noting absentmindedly that there were two hearts beating under her palm.

"Well, we'd - the four of us," she gestured at the original group, "just come out of a... particularly unpleasant adventure. More so for some of us than others, but still very..." she sighed. "Not fun. We all decided to take a rest day, and the Doctor said that he knew of a vacation planet that was designed to be for those in need of healing, whether mental or physical." She rolled her eyes. "This is like the third resort planet that I know of now that's had some sort of shady behavior going on. First there was Cuhlhan, then there's Midnight, now this! Are all resorts evil?"

She was interrupted from her dramatics by a light tug at her hair. "'Sa tell story! Not get dis-tack-ted!" the child whined.

"Right. Sorry. Got off track," she said sheepishly. "Anyways, the Doctor and Amy went off to got talk some things through while Rory and I stayed behind and played chess. It was... what, maybe forty-five minutes to an hour?"

He nodded. "I'd say it was about an hour, they came running back. The Doctor looked incredibly worried, and was kind of propelling Amy along in front of him. He yelled for us to run to the TARDIS and get inside. Lyssa grabbed him, and I grabbed Amy, but she passed out before we got inside. I had to carry her, and by the time we got inside, she had already started... de-aging? I don't know."

He rubbed his temple with one hand. "And it was the same for the Doctor - him," he clarified awkwardly, suddenly remembering there were technically two Doctors in the room. "It was less than a minute between them showing up and us arriving in the TARDIS, and they shrunk to about two or three years old in a matter of seconds."

"But you two haven't felt anything strange?" the Doctor asked suddenly, eyeing the two of them carefully.

Lyssa raised an eyebrow. "Aside from shock that I am now literally holding my two-year-old best friend in my arms? Not really, no. Rory?"

He shook his head. "I was actually having a pretty nice time beating you at chess until these two came running up."

"Roh-ree, being too loud!" a sleepy Scottish voice interrupted. They all turned to see a little girl with bright red hair rubbing her eyes with two chubby fists before opening them to reveal wide hazel eyes. "I'm tired," she complained, crawling into a shocked Rory's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I - uh - sorry?" he asked helplessly, shooting a wide-eyed glance at the others, who just shrugged. "Amy?" he asked after a minute. "Amy, do you know who I am?"

She huffed. "You Roh-ree, and you being too loud! I want to seep!"

"No seep!" the child Doctor yelled suddenly, almost throwing himself out of Lyssa's lap in his urgency and startling them all. "Ah-mee no seep! Seep bad!"

"Doctor! Er - uh, Doctor?" Lyssa asked hesitantly, not sure if he would still respond to the name. "What's wrong? Why can't she sleep?"

He turned to her impatiently. "Seep bad! You get stuck if you seep!"

"Stuck?" the Tenth Doctor asked with interest, moving to crouch in front of him. "Do you mean stuck in this physical form? Will you be stuck as a toddler if you fall asleep?"

"No!" he huffed, crossing his arms. "Not age. Body!"

"I'm... not sure I understand," the Tenth Doctor said carefully.

"That's 'cause you don't think," the boy told him disdainfully, rolling his eyes. "Seeping is bad, you get stuck in - in the ground, and you don't wake up!"

"What?"

"I'm starting to see what you mean," Rory told Donna quietly, carefully tugging child Amy away from him. She whined, but eventually let go, pouting up at him. "Amy, you can't go to sleep right now, okay? Can you stay awake for me?"

"Hold on. Amy, do you remember me?" Lyssa interjected, holding her breath when the little girl turned to study her.

"Li-suh?" Amy asked after a moment.

Lyssa blew out a relieved breath, smiling at her. "Yeah, it's me." She turned to the Tenth Doctor. "Okay, so they both remember us, and he seems to at least have some of his memories from what happened before he was turned into a child as well."

"And from me," the Tenth Doctor reminded her. "He said rude and not ginger - that's something I said at the start of this regeneration. He remembered that, albeit at my expense." He frowned. "I think we're going to have to run some tests. Non-invasive ones, I promise," he added hastily at the look on her face.

"But I think we need to get some more basic information before we go any further. We know they're children, but what else? Are they biologically children of their species? Are they mentally children as well, just with the memories of their future selves? Is there some sort of foreign object in their body that's responsible for what happened to them?"

"Are you okay with that, mini Doctor?" Lyssa asked the boy teasingly, poking him in the ribs gently. "Can Spikey over there take a look at you and Amy?"

The child regarded her and his past self with a caution that belied his appearance. "Same time-steam, 'Sa. We look diff-ent, but still the same. We can't touch. It's bad."

"Most of the scans can be completed without touching, and what can't be, can either be done without skin contact, or I can have Lyssa or - sorry, what was your name? Rory? - do it," the Tenth Doctor promised him.

The child narrowed his eyes at him, then nodded, clambering back into Lyssa's lap and wrapping his arms around her neck. "'Sa carry me? Pease?" he asked, pushing his nose up against hers and pushing his lip out into a pleading pout.

She snorted, tapping her fingers along his ribs until he shrieked with laughter, curling up into her. "Don't think I don't see what you're up to, stinker," she challenged him as she and the Tenth Doctor got to their feet, easily balancing him on her hip. "Acting all cute so I'll be willing to do whatever you say."

He regarded her with wide, innocent green eyes. "But 'Sa... I alweady cute."

"It's definitely you, spaceman," Donna agreed with a snicker. "I'd recognize that ego anywhere, child or not."

"You know, I just came here because I thought you needed my help, and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now," the Tenth Doctor complained as he led the way to the Infirmary.

"I guess it's a good thing we're going to the Infirmary huh, Doctor?" Donna smirked. "All that bruised ego could use some seeing to."

"You has owie?" Little Amy asked in concern, her head popping up from Rory's shoulder to study him. "Need band-aid?"

"No, no, I'm fine," the Doctor hastened to assure her. "Donna's just being silly. Isn't that right, Donna?" He sent her a warning look.

She completely ignored it. "Don't you worry, sweetheart, I'm sure the Doctor has lots of lovely band-aids in the Infirmary, and you can pick one out for the Doctor to wear to make him feel all better."

"No, there's no need for that, I do not need a band-aid!" the Doctor insisted. "I am completely fine without one."

xXx

"Not. A. Word."

"All I was gonna say was that pink's a lovely color on ya," Donna said innocently. "And it was very sweet of Miss Amelia over here to pick out a band-aid with hearts on it to make your heart feel better."

The Doctor sighed, taking the stethoscope out of his ears and laying it around his shoulders as he stood up straight, the eartips falling next to a bright pink band-aid covered with hearts placed in the middle of his chest.

"It was very sweet of her. But it ruins the aesthetic of the blue suit," he complained without heat. "This bright pink doesn't complement it well, and don't think I didn't see you influencing her choice, Donna!"

"Are you sure _our_ Doctor was the one turned into the child?" Rory whispered to Lyssa, pulling a blank notebook and a pencil out of a cabinet for the children - or at least Amelia, as they'd designated her to separate her from her older self - to entertain themselves with.

"Sometimes I wonder," Lyssa said flatly before raising her voice. "Doctor, what did you find out?"

"What? Oh. Right," he said, turning around to face the three of them. "Uh, so far as I can tell, the test results all point to them literally being de-aged. And I say that term as opposed to regression because my future self over there throws a wrench in the mix."

"Not much changes in the future, then," Donna remarked.

"Ignoring the un-asked for peanut gallery over there," the Tenth Doctor continued, "the reason this is a potential problem is because that boy over there," he pointed to his future self, "was never me. That is to say, when I was a child, I didn't look like that."

"Wait. Are you saying that he's... the child-form of this regeneration's body?" Lyssa frowned. "But Amelia has the body of the child she originally was?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen her as a child before. I don't suppose you'd know, Rory?"

Rory shook his head slowly. "I didn't meet her until she was older, sorry.. But... I think this is pretty similar to what I've seen of her in pictures. It's been a while, so I can't be positive, but it looks like her."

"Okay..." The Doctor started to pace as he absorbed the new information. "Okay. So. Physically, they are one hundred percent biological children of their species. Amelia is one hundred percent human, and, assuming Rory remembers her correctly, is also physically the child she once was. Controversially, my future self is, while biologically completely Time Lord, his child form is presumably that of his regeneration, not my - our - original childhood form."

"What about mentally, though?" Rory mentioned hesitantly. "I mean, when he first woke up, our Doctor was acting a lot like a human child would. But as time passed, he seemed to start remembering more, and acting less like a child, although still with some of the speech limitations of a toddler."

"That's where it gets tricky," the Tenth Doctor said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Because Time Tots also develop mentally faster than humans, which means that a Time Tot at the age of two or three is going to be more advanced mentally than a human would be at the same age. So it's entirely possible that he's simply acting like a proper Time Tot his age, just influenced by whatever memories he may still have, and that whatever it was that changed them into children was wearing off.

"Which brings me to my next discovery," the Doctor continued. "As you know, I didn't do a blood draw, but the scanner was still able to pick up minute traces of some sort of foreign organic matter in their bloodstream. It was almost gone by that point, and has completely dissipated by now, but it almost looked like pollen when I saw it."

"Hold on," Rory interrupted. "This isn't some sort of psychic pollen that's making us all share a dream, is it? Because I've already done that, and I died. Again. I'd rather skip that this time around if I can."

"What?"

"Long story, he was plastic," Lyssa explained absentmindedly, brain more focused on trying to solve the puzzle that only seemed to get bigger every minute.

" _What_?"

"No, no, that was after I died, remember? Or have you not done that - oh, no, wait, you haven't done that yet," Rory realized. "Never mind. Or were you referring to when I died in the psychic pollen dream?"

"Yeah, I think I'm just as lost as you are this time, spaceman," Donna interrupted, startling the other two.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you!" Lyssa cried, feeling heat flame her face. "It's just - Rory sort of dies a lot, it's kind of become a thing, and that's not the point, I got distracted. I'm sorry, anyways, what were you saying?" she asked, focusing on the Tenth Doctor. "Is this some sort of shared dream thingy?"

"I don't think so," he murmured, brow still furrowed. "Right now my best guess is that the pollen is what made them change to children. They must have brushed up against a plant when they were away from you and Rory, and breathed in enough of the pollen that it started to change them. Although since this is a vacation planet, you'd think they'd have signs up, or cleared it out. Unless they're not aware of it," he started to muse thoughtfully.

A loud knocking sound made them all jump. "Is someone... knocking on the TARDIS? I thought most people tended to ignore it," Rory frowned.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too," Donna agreed.

"Which means it would most likely be someone who knows what they're looking for," Lyssa concluded. "Or it was just an accident. Or it could even be someone who needs help. I'm gonna go check it out. Anyone want to come with me?"

"I'll go," Rory volunteered. "Doctor, you should stay here to keep trying to figure out what's going on. I don't think any of us can help with that."

"I'll stay here, keep an eye on the kiddos," Donna decided. "You two go figure out who or what it is before they get impatient or whatever."

"All right, I'm going, I'm going," Lyssa pretended to sulk, heading out the door to the console room, Rory close behind. She slowed to a stop when she saw the shape through the glass windows. "Hold on. What?"

Exchanging an incredulous look with Rory, she ran to the door and pulled it open to reveal the adult versions of the Eleventh Doctor and Amy standing there outside, looking just as they had before this all started, although the Eleventh Doctor was leaning heavily on Amy, his eyes half closed.

"Amy?" Rory asked, staring at his wife.

"Doctor?" Lyssa asked hesitantly, putting out a hand to be sure that he was real. It rested against his chest, and she felt a heart beating underneath. Moving it - still half disbelieving - to the other side, she felt another heart beating. She ran a hand through her hair, blinking rapidly. "I don't - what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, fairy-girl," the Eleventh Doctor grimaced. "But something's gone wrong."

* * *

 **A/N: Plot twist? What plot twist? I don't see any plot twists...**

 **Everyone seems to like this little idea of mine so far, which is amazing considering that it was literally a spur of the moment idea to use after my old one ended up not quite working out, so thank you for all your support, and I'm thrilled that you guys seem to be loving this!**

 **After near record-breaking cold temperatures this fall, it has now become unseasonably warm (although still in the 30-40 range) now that Christmas is approaching. (Of course, lol). Which means that it'll probably be like last year, and we'll get a million blizzards in the spring. :P**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed (after just over a year, we are now at almost 350 favorites, and over 400 follows! You guys are so amazing! Thank you so much! *cries*) and shout-out to Alix Winchester, Mikari Satsuke, afionna262, Guest, yellowroseofthenw, Angelusica, Dumti, Sherlockian082994,** **Rose1414, Arkytior's Song, ThatBlueStrawberry, Angelusica, amrawo, gabumon 7, and OCLover123** **and Gubamon for reviewing! As with last week, because of all the awesome reviews, I'm PMing everyone I can with their replies, and putting the rest down below**

 **Oh, and head's up to abbynormal315: I tried PMing you your one-shot that you won/requested, but your PMs have been disabled (that or the site is lying to me, it could be either at this point, I'm not technologically gifted). If you wanted, you could PM me really quick when it's on, I could send it to you, and then you could turn it back off again, or we could come up with something else as well. Or it could be a bug with the site. :P**

 _ **Guest: Haha, it would have been interesting to see Steven Moffatt's take on this... although come to think of it, he probably would've killed everyone off. :/ *checks story notes* Oh, wait. Crap. Uh... I gotta go. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **Dumti: Haha, I'm glad I could make you laugh! :D And everyone seems to love it, so there will most likely be more jealous!doctor in the future (and it might not be the toddler). And yeah... Ten and Eleven don't quite get along as well as they could... but at least it makes it more interesting for us, lol. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **Gubamon: Yep. Sass. So much sass. That's basically all that's going to happen, is sass. ;D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **OCLover123: The sass could be overwhelming. ;D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 _ **amrawo: Yay! I'm glad you're liking it so far! And yep. There will be repurcussions, possibly long-lasting ones as well... Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)**_

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	64. Chapter 64 - Rule Number One

"Wrong?" Lyssa repeated, her voice rising sharply halfway through. "Doctor, you have no idea."

"Um, sorry. Is this for real?" Rory asked slowly, rubbing his eyes and blinking hard at his wife. "Amy, are you really here?"

"Real enough to slap you if you don't stop being a stupid face and help me get this big lug inside," Amy snapped, groaning and shifting the Doctor's weight around her shoulders. "We were walking through one of the gardens when everything went black. When I woke up, we were both lying on the ground, and I had the worst headache. I only just got him halfway coherent, and that's with the whole walk here!"

"Right. Sorry." Shaking his head, Rory stepped forward and grabbed the Doctor's other arm, slinging it around his shoulders and taking the weight off of Amy, who sighed in relief. Hauling the mumbling Eleventh Doctor into the TARDIS, he laid him down on the grating then moved out of the way so Amy could come in, the TARDIS lights flashing in greeting - or concern - as they did so.

"Okay, I don't know about you, but am I the only one still concerned about what's in the Infirmary just down that hallway?" Lyssa asked rhetorically, rubbing her temples where a headache was starting to form. "How is this possible?"

"You're the time travel expert, you tell me," Rory retorted before bending over the Doctor, who had closed his eyes and seemed to be losing consciousness again. "Doctor, can you hear me? Do you know where you are? he asked urgently, patting his cheeks to draw his attention.

"I'm not a time travel expert _yet!_ " Lyssa complained, crouching by the two. "I know different regenerations have met before, but I don't think two Doctors from the same regeneration have ever met before. At least, not without the world and/or universe about to end! Or, or, or..." She frowned down at the Doctor, then winced, the throbbing in her head increasing.

"Ugh, I swear I used to know this! Anyways, things get tricky when multiple Doctors are involved. I think it's got something to do with paradoxes becoming a lot more likely, stuff like that. I don't know. Doctor!" she raised her voice. "Doctor, we need you here! Like, now!"

They heard the clattering of footsteps only a few seconds later, and the Tenth Doctor burst into the room, coat off and his sleeves rolled up. "Lyssa, what's wrong? What happened?"

Lyssa pointed at Amy and the Eleventh Doctor silently.

The Tenth Doctor looked at them, then frowned, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Hold on. Do I know you?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't know you, if that counts. Who're you, and what're _you_ doing here?"

"You're Scottish, too? How many of you _are_ there on this shi- " The Tenth Doctor froze. "No. You're not -" He looked at Lyssa with wide eyes, and she shrugged helplessly. He turned back to Amy, blinking rapidly and pointing at her. "You - you - you mean to tell me that _you're_ Amelia? And _that's_ the Doctor?"

"Last I checked he was," Amy snarked. "And I go by Amy now, but yeah. Mind telling me who _you_ are?"

The Tenth Doctor ignored her. "No. No way. You've got to be having me on. You couldn't possibly - there's no way he could be -" He ran his hands through his hair. "Lyssa. Tell me you're joking," he implored, turning to her pleadingly.

She grimaced apologetically. "Doctor, say hello to Amy and the Doctor as we know them. I don't suppose you have an explanation?"

"Why do you think I was asking you for one?" he retorted bluntly, frowning at the Eleventh Doctor, who was still lying on the ground. "What happened?"

Amy looked him up and down skeptically, but answered anyways. "We were walking in the gardens when everything went black. When I woke up, I had a headache and he was still out of it. We came back here, and now you guys are all freaked out. What's going on? And you still haven't told me who you are."

"We really don't have the time for this again," Lyssa grumbled. "Amy, that's the Doctor from the past. Yes, I know, he looks different, it's a long story and we really don't have time for a longer explanation right now. How are you here? Are you even real?"

"Why do you people keep asking that?" Amy asked in frustration. "What's. Going. On?"

"I... think it'll be for the benefit of everyone involved if you just come with me," the Tenth Doctor said slowly. "We can show you there, maybe run a few tests, see how this is possible. I don't know... have you met any red creatures covered in suckers running around recently? Oh! Your husband mentioned being plastic, I don't suppose you came across anyone that could shoot bullets out of their hands? Maybe looked a bit glossy, stuttered a bit?"

"Not since I snogged one," Amy grumbled, pushing herself to her feet. "Rory, help me get him up." She placed one arm under the Eleventh Doctor's arm and waited for Rory to do the same on the other side before lifting him up, his head falling limply to his chest as they did so. "Right. Infirmary?" She indicated for the Tenth Doctor to lead the way.

He shook his head again. "Right. Sorry. Lyssa, do you wanna run ahead, make sure the two children aren't running around when we get there? Bad enough to have two Doctors, now we have three and two Scottish girls while we're at it. What next? An Irishman trying to murder us?"

"Wrong regeneration, Doctor, sorry," Lyssa informed him wryly before taking off down the hall, ignoring his confused rejoinder. Running into the Infirmary, she stumbled backwards and nearly fell when two weights attached themselves to her legs, wrapping around them and clinging like a leech to her jeans. "Aah!" She looked down and saw two heads, one red and one brown, slowly tilting back to reveal tiny unrepentant faces grinning up at her. "What are you two doing?"

"We were gonna - gonna make an 'scape attempt," Amelia said proudly. "But you gotted in the way," she finished sadly.

"Right," she sighed, wondering that her headache was actually going away instead of increasing. "Of course. I should have known better than to expect anything else. Okay. Ignoring the fact that you weren't supposed to be making an escape attempt - and that Donna was supposed to be watching you - we need to move."

"I threw a ball and - and losted it," Amelia said sheepishly, playing with her hands and trying to avoid her gaze. "Don-nuh went - went to get it."

"Why?" the child Doctor asked, dark eyes watching her curiously. "Something wrong?"

She hesitated. "Not... exactly, no..."

"You hesit-ed," he informed her coolly, raising an eyebrow as if surprised she thought he would fall for that.

"Hesitated? No I didn't," she denied, reaching down and scooping them up into her arms, resting one toddler on each hip. "And it doesn't matter if I did. We still need to move. There's more problems incoming."

"Something's wrong," the child Doctor stated plainly as she set the two of them on a spare bed with a stern admonishment to sit. "What's wrong?"

She booped him on the nose. "Nothing we can't handle." She paused. "Probably."

"Okay, do you think you can walk to that doorway over there?" The Tenth Doctor's voice filtered into the room, followed by a muttered rejoinder. "Well, I would hope you know what room it is, this is apparently your ship! But you've had the talent to get yourself knocked out while Lyssa and Rory are stuck dealing with a whole other issue!" Another pause. "Yes, I'm aware you weren't trying to, but I'm blaming you anyways." Another pause. "How is that passing the blame? I'm literally only blaming myself!"

Lyssa rolled her eyes. "Children. The lot of them. I swear, it gets worse every time." She poked the child Doctor in the belly, making him snicker as the rest of the group finally marched into the room. The adult Eleventh Doctor seemed to be finally awake, though still leaning slightly on Rory, and letting out a sigh of relief when he sat down on the other medical bed. Amy sat next to him, arms crossed.

Amelia stared at the two adults, then back at the child Doctor and herself, then back at the two adults, then back at the child Doctor and herself. "Li-suh? Help?"

"Sorry, sweetheart," Lyssa apologized, rubbing the toddler's back in an attempt to soothe the confused girl. "I'm not much better myself. Doctor? Uh... Tenth Doctor? Sandshoes?"

"They're not - they're not sandshoes," the Tenth Doctor started, before sighing and shaking his head. "You know what, never mind. Where's Donna?"

"You literally walked right past me, spaceman," Donna snarked, walking back into the room with a small colorful ball in hand. Presenting it to Amelia, she warned her, "Next time try not to throw it so far, yeah?" Turning back to the others, she did a double take when she caught sight of the adult Eleventh Doctor and Amy. "Hold on -" She turned and stared at the two children on the bed, then turned back to the adults. "Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like the adult version of these children?"

Lyssa winced as her headache started to peak again. "Could you please just figure out what's going on first, and then start asking questions?" She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see the child Doctor standing there, chubby cheeks formed into a pout as he glared at the adult version of himself. "What's wrong, Do- uh, Doctor?"

"He's probably feeling some sort of backlash from all three of us being in the same room at the same time," the adult Eleventh Doctor said, rubbing his temples with a pained look. "Time Tot senses are more highly attuned than that of adults because they're still growing, and don't have control over them yet. Normally an adult Time Lord would help him manage them, especially in a situation like this, but... in this situation, the only adult Time Lords present are literally all versions of himself. We can't do anything due to the possible ramifications to the time stream. And, you know, we do technically share a brain. It's the same reason we can't sense each other."

"So wait," Lyssa said slowly, trying to understand through the dull throbbing in her head. "The three of you being in the same room is giving all of you a headache? Is that why I have one, too? 'Cause I'm sensitive to time, and there's three of you, and that means three timestreams compressed into one, or something?"

"Wait, what?" Rory said slowly. "Go back to there being three of you in one room! And two of you look exactly the same, just... different. And, and, and, Amy! Why?"

The Tenth Doctor frowned, looking over at Lyssa worriedly. "You have a headache, too? What does it feel like?"

"I dunno, an ache in my head?" she shrugged. "A dull throbbing, I guess. It comes and goes. It was gone when it was just me in here with the kids, and now it's back again, kind of ebbing and flowing in severity. Why? Is that what yours feels like?"

He frowned again. "No." Refusing to elaborate, he continued. "Have you done anything that might have affected you recently? Your mind in particular? This is important, so try to remember."

"Thanks for giving me an example to go by," she grumbled, absently carding her fingers through the child Doctor's hair. "Define recent."

The Tenth Doctor narrowed his eyes, turning to one of the machines by the bed and inputting data until it started to whir. "Last three days or less."

She snorted. "How long you got?" She started to count off on her fingers. "First there was the whole thing with Suki not dying and then dying on Satellite Five, then I got my memory wiped, and then I almost got my brain turned into soup by the - oh wait, that's a spoiler, never mind - and then I got my memories back again, but then I landed in a place that found out one of your worst fears and showed it to you - presumably by rifling through my mind until it found what I wanted, although at least I didn't feel anything that time. Oh, yeah! And once I found my greatest fear, I started getting brainwashed and having all my fears and reasoning powers being wiped away, and - annnnd you're staring at me. Why?"

"That was all within the last three days?" the Tenth Doctor said incredulously, Donna gaping at her in the background.

Lyssa shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, more like the last two, I think. Well, technically I think it all happened yesterday, but yeah. Why?" He just stared at her. She shifted uneasily. "Starting to get some negative vibes here..."

"How are you still functioning?" he asked bluntly. Donna smacked him. "What?" he said indignantly. "It's a fair question! Human minds are delicate, and she's been through enough to quite easily drive a person mad!"

"Yeah, not exactly completely human anymore, remember?" Lyssa interrupted. "That's why the whole thing with Suki bothered me, 'cause it was a fixed point in time, or whatever, and I was connected to the time stream so I could feel it, or whatever. Anyways, is my connection to the time stream why I have a headache?"

"Maybe...?" he hedged, grinning sheepishly when she raised her eyebrow at him. "Well, it's not like I have a guidebook on the intricacies of the time stream! Half the time we're barely on speaking terms."

"All right, so you've all got headaches. We get it," Donna called. "Why don't we acknowledge the elephant in the room and find out what's going on with these four. Are they clones? From the future? Evil robots from the future sent to destroy us before we can defeat them in a war in the future?"

The Tenth Doctor's eyes suddenly shot open wide. "Hold that thought, I just got an idea. I'll be back."

Donna rolled her eyes as his coat swished dramatically behind him. "Drama queen," she muttered fondly. Then, stepping forward to the bed, she eyed the adult Eleventh Doctor curiously. "No offense and all that, but we're gonna need to come up with something to call you. I can hardly just call out, 'Doctor!' now, can I? I got three of ya! How're you supposed to know who's calling who? It's giving me a headache just trying to sort you out!"

"Technically, he is the eleventh regeneration of the Doctor," Lyssa suggested. "We could just call him 'Eleven', and his past self 'Ten'."

Chubby hands placed themselves on her cheeks and turned her head to face a pouting toddler. "'Sa, what 'bout me? I'm the Doder too!"

"We could call him 'Tot' for Time Tot?" Eleven suggested from behind her, apparently taking no issue with his temporary new name.

"Or tater tot?" Lyssa offered, waggling her eyebrows at the child.

He looked offended. "Not a 'tato, 'Sa! I a big boy!"

"Okay, so what do you think we should call you, then?" she humored him.

He stopped to think. "'Jamie?"

Lyssa blinked. "You want to call yourself... Jamie?"

He nodded vehemently. "If I can't be the Doder, I - I - I will be Jamie."

She nodded slowly. "That... sounds like a good name," she encouraged him.

Standing to his full height - all three feet of it - on the bed, he puffed out his chest and nodded pompously. "The best." A sudden clicking and beeping filled the room, and he narrowed his eyes at the source before widening them playfully again, all hints of maturity gone. "'Sa, come here. I have a - a see-ket for you."

"A secret, huh?" she challenged him.

He nodded. "A super big see-ket. It's SO big!" He stretched his little arms out as far as they could go, then glanced haughtily over his shoulder at Eleven, Amy, Donna, and Rory. "You can't listen. Go 'way."

"Doctor!" Lyssa sputtered as Donna laughed. "Don't be rude!"

"Now there's a familiar sound," Eleven joked, getting up from the bed. "Don't worry, little Doctor. I'll leave you be, you and your secrets. Come on, ladies, Rory. I think we could all use a good cup of tea, so I really hope you know how to make one, because I seem to have forgotten." Amy's retort disappeared with them as they, too, vanished into the halls.

Once they were gone and the doors shut behind them, Lyssa turned and regarded the child sternly. "All right, now what's so important that you had to kick everyone except Amelia out?"

He cast a quick glance at Amelia - who was happily playing with her ball - before leaning in and gesturing for her to do the same. Then, cupping his hands around her ear, he whispered faintly, "Don't trust them. They're lying to you."

"Wh-what?" she stammered, lowering her voice when he hastily hushed her. "Who? Don't trust who? And why?"

"I set up a scan while you were gone," he explained quietly. "A deep scan to make sure we're all who we say we are." He pulled back slightly and regarded her carefully. "This planet is dangerous, and so are the people if they want to be. It was suh-supposed to be a pre-precaution."

"How long were you alone for?" she asked incredulously.

The toddler didn't answer her, keeping his voice low and ominous. "They hid their DNA. They look like they should, and they talk like they should, but they won't act like they should. Don't trust them."

"Yeah, okay, but who are you talking about?" she whispered back impatiently. "If the people can look like us, who can I trust? That means that the only person I know is safe is Rory, because I was with him, and you two, because I saw you two physically transform, but then who's lying?"

The child watched her carefully, eyes searching hers for something before he seemed to find what he was looking for.

"Don't trust the Doctor. He's lying."

Lyssa pulled back from him slowly, frowning. "But - which Doctor? One of them? Both of them? You? How do you even know that it's the Doctor who's lying, and not one of the others?" Another thought struck her. "And why are you acting so grown up now? I know that Time Lord children develop faster than humans do, but surely this is too advanced even for them. How much do you really remember?"

She cast a cautious glance over at Amelia, who was still happily playing with her ball. "And I don't - I don't want to start being all paranoid, but... can you prove that you're really the Doctor, too? Or what if none of you are fake, and the results were just skewed by the pollen that's apparently in your bloodstream?"

"'Sa, slow down," the toddler begged, holding up his hands.

She grimaced. "Sorry. I just - you do realize what this could mean, right? The possible implications?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm not a child, 'Sa."

"..."

"You know what I mean! I was just tryin' to say that yes, I do know what this could mean." He sighed crossly, flopping down on the bed and crossing his arms. "It's... hard. Sometimes I feel like me, I just can't talk right, and other times, it's like... it's like I take a step back, and I'm runnin' on - on child instincts and thoughts. I still remember you, but I'm ruled by the instincts and whims of a child. I don't know as much as I did, and I can't think as fast as I used to, either. I don't know why it's diff-ent for Ah-mee - Ah-mia," he corrected himself, casting a glance over at the little girl.

Lyssa tilted her head at him. "You mean because she doesn't seem to have adult thoughts at all? She acts just like a toddler, with only vague memories of us?"

He nodded. "Maybe it's 'cause I'm a Time Lord, but I just don't know!" he complained, clenching his little hands into fists. "I don't even re-remember much of what happened before we got turned into - into children, just that we were walking in the - in the gardens."

"Just like the older you and Amy," Lyssa pointed out. "Only they actually remember what happened, up until they passed out. And Eleven did seem to be affected differently, too. He was acting loopy and out of it until he got here. Amy practically had to drag him here on her shoulder, while she was pretty much acting like normal."

She chewed on her lip as she thought. "Maybe that's why Amelia acts just like a little girl while Amy is her normal self, and then Eleven was weak, while you still have some of your older self left in you."

"You mean that maybe some of 'Leven's mind is in me, and that's why he's weaker, and I'm not just a child?" Jamie asked curiously. He narrowed his eyes, thinking. "That's... actually a def - definite possi- possibility. I just need to -" He stopped and huffed in frustration.

"What?" Lyssa asked nervously, looking around for any signs of something else gone wrong.

"I don't have 'nuff control to think about whether or not this could really be true," he complained. "I can't focus on it for long 'nuff!"

"Could we maybe ask Ten or Eleven?" Lyssa suggested. "They're both technically still adults, and they might have some ideas."

The child thought about it for a minute, then shook his head. "One of them is lying, and we don't know who. If we tell the wrong one, he might fig-figure out that we're onto him, and do somethin' bad."

"Well, can't we just figure out who the wrong one is?" Lyssa asked in exasperation. "You were able to set up a scan and find out that at least two of us aren't who they say they are. Why can't you just set it to tell you which is which?"

He wrinkled his nose. "I set it up to do an extensive scan for species while we were all in the room and report any anom -anom -" He sighed. "Diff-ences from human and Time Lord, then coded the response so that only I would be able to understand it in case someone else was in the room with me at the time. The clicking you heard meant that an anom - a diff-ence was found, and the beeping meant that there was more than one."

Lyssa rubbed her temples, trying to keep it all straight in her head. "Okay, so let me get this straight. You set up a scan to figure out if any of us were not human or Time Lord, and it said that there were several of us who weren't either?"

He nodded.

"But what about me?" she frowned, her stomach twisting as she said the words. "I'm not fully human anymore, remember? What if all your scanner detected was me?" She rubbed her arm uneasily.

Jamie looked confused for a moment, then unbearably sad, reaching out one chubby hand to pat her arm in an attempt at comfort. "'Sa..."

"I'm not saying you were lying," she said hastily, trying to distract him. She wasn't looking for him to analyze her problems and try and fix them - not when they couldn't be fixed. "I just - I'm not fully human anymore. I could be one of the anomalies it detected. And, and, what if you and Amelia were the other anomalies because the pollen changed your body structure, or biology or something when it turned you to children? Or, or, I don't know..." her shoulders slumped. "Just... what if it's not a monster this time? Just... me?"

The blonde woman from the hotel popped into her head, and she flinched. In that case, the monster had been her. Would be her. Or rather, she would be the monster. Maybe that was the case here, too? Or something similar, like the Master?

A hand on her cheek drew her out of her thoughts. "'Sa, pay 'tention!" Jamie rebuked her, though his eyes looked worried.

She licked her dry lips nervously and offered up a weak smile. "Sorry. Got lost in my thoughts. Did you say something?"

He sent her a knowing glance - though what he thought he knew, she wasn't sure - but dropped it. "As I was _saying_ \- it couldn't be you. For one thing, you're still com-com-petely human, you just have some of the Time Vortex in you, too. And for an-another, I set it to read you as com-petely human and not go off." He shook his head. "It's not you, and it's not me and Ah-mia. Ten scanned us, and we're com-petely one hun-ded percent normal."

"Unless he's lying, and thus could have been lying about you," Lyssa pointed out, sitting on the bed beside him and resting her chin on her hand, realizing what she said a moment later. "Ugh! This is what I was worried about! I don't want to get paranoid and start suspecting everyone!" She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "And besides, when you're paranoid, you start to make mistakes because you're running on fear and conjecture, not facts."

Jamie nodded solemnly. "Which is why I have proof that I am who I say I am, which means that Ah-mia would be the real Ah-mia too."

"Okay, why don't you start there?" Lyssa said tiredly. "The more certainty we have, the better."

"Right." He stood up on the bed, then reached into one of the hidden pockets in the over-sized shirt he was still wearing, arm disappearing all the way up to his shoulder. "I took this from my twousers before we left, just in case."

"Of course you have hidden pockets in your shirt," Lyssa rolled her eyes. "Don't mind me, I'll just be sitting over here, pocket-less."

"It's only the one pocket," Jamie protested, still digging around. "And I know the Tah-dis gives you pockets, too. Just... this can't be copied exactly, so it's the only one, so it'll prove it for sure that it's me." He strained, reaching further into the pocket. "If I could just find it!"

"But you know for sure that at least one of the Time Lords aboard this ship isn't actually a Time Lord," Lyssa pressed him.

He nodded. "Like I said, the beeping meant that more than one was found, which meant that at least two of us are changed. Maybe more. It wouldn't make sense for them to clone two humans, and leave three Time Lords to figure them out. No, if someone's behind this, they would add a fake Time Lord to throw us off the trail."

"But we don't know which one?"

"Nope."

"Well, that's just fantastic," she said dryly.

"Yep. Aha!"

"Found it?"

"Uh-huh!" Jamie said excitedly, doing a triumphant little dance on the bed as he pulled his hand out of his pocket, something tiny and silver sparkling in his clenched fist. "I gotted it!"

"All right, let's see this proof," she humored him, turning to face him and sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Right." Trying to contain his excitement as best as he could -though his little body was still practically vibrating, he was so excited - he held out his hand and opened it to reveal a thin silver chain with a blue charm at the end.

She gasped. "My necklace!"

He nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh! I founded it in - in my pocket. And I knew it was yours, so - so I kept it for you," he crowed.

She reached out and gently took the necklace from him, letting the chain slip over her fingers so that the snowflake charm was displayed against her palm. "But what if Eleven has the same necklace?" she asked, frowning as the thought struck her.

Jamie wrinkled his nose adorably, trying to think. "Uh... Oh, yeah! If - if he has it too, you can just touch them together, and if it shocks you, it's the same one! Pow!" He made a zapping sound with great glee.

"Oh, like you did with your sonic screwdriver with Rory at the Pandorica!" Lyssa realized.

He grinned, starting to bounce up and down. "Uh-huh."

"But what if it doesn't?" she pointed out. "Obviously, that would mean that they're two different objects. Or what if he doesn't even have a necklace?"

Jamie stopped bouncing, his face falling. "Oh. Uh... That could be 'cause he - 'cause I gave it to you, and he's me from the future, so he doesn't have it any more. Or 'cause -" He frowned. "It's hard to think," he complained, brow furrowed. "I can't - I don't know."

Not letting any of her troubled thoughts show on her face, she smiled brightly at him. "Well, we'll figure it out as we go along, so don't worry about it, okay? In the meantime, why don't you hold onto this for now," she suggested, holding the necklace out to him, though not without a twinge of regret. When he frowned at her in confusion, she elaborated.

"I didn't have the necklace on before, and if one of them is fake, and sees me with the necklace, they would know that the real Doctor gave it to me, and that we at least suspect something. We don't want to give it away just yet. Not until we know more, anyways."

"Oh. Okay," he said, taking the necklace back without further question - which was good, because that was an awful reason, and she was terrible at coming up with excuses on the spot - and tucking it back in his pocket. Letting out a big yawn, he rubbed his eyes and sat back down, leaning against her tiredly. "I seepy, 'Sa," he complained.

Unable to help a smile at the adorable yawn that followed again, she came to a decision and stood up, laughing quietly at his protest at losing his pillow. Scooping him into her arms, he rested his head against her shoulder and lay there quietly, closing his eyes.

She poked him. "Hey, mister. You were the one who told Amelia not to go back to sleep, in case she got stuck, whatever that meant. Don't you go falling to sleep on me, now!"

He whined, but opened his eyes again, pouting up at her.

She snorted, unmoved. "Don't try using those big green eyes on me," she informed him, poking him in the nose. "You were the one who insisted that Amelia stay awake, so that means you both need to stay awake until we figure out a reason you don't have to. Unless you wanna explain why you said that?" She left the last word hanging, hoping he would offer up at least some sort of explanation.

Instead, his eyes just grew heavier, taking longer to open each time.

She jostled him gently. "Hey, come on now, Jamie. Stay with me."

His eyes blinked open tiredly, rolling up slightly to look at her. She smiled, starting to grow worried, but trying to hide it. "There you are. Can you tell me why you said Amelia shouldn't grow to sleep? Did you see something before you were changed? Why can't she go to sleep? Why will she get stuck?"

He yawned, tucking his head further into the crook of her neck and closing his eyes again. "'Cause she won't wake up again, and she'll get stuck. And then she'll get her."

Goosebumps breaking out on her skin, she asked carefully, "Who?"

He didn't answer.

"Doctor?"

Nothing.

She tried shaking him, gently at first, then harder when nothing happened. Still no response. "Okay, this is not good, this is starting to look very not good. Uh... I need to find the Doctor." She wrinkled her nose. "One of them at least," she muttered, starting for the door before remembering and spinning around.

"Amelia, sweetheart, you're gonna have to come with me. The Doctor and I have to go, and I can't leave you here alone. I've already got - Amy!" she gasped, seeing the redhead lying limply on the floor.

Setting Jamie down carefully on the floor, she crawled over to the little girl, feeling carefully for a pulse and sighing in relief when she found one, feeling Amelia's chest rise and fall with each breath.

"Oh, thank goodness. One heart attack per day is enough for anyone, and I've already had, like, seven today." Amy didn't respond, or even change her breathing at all, and Lyssa's shoulders slumped before she experimentally reached out and poked the child, unsurprised when there was no response.

"Great. Just great," she muttered, looking between the two sleeping toddlers. "Now what am I supposed to do with you? I have two unresponsive toddlers, four people that may or may not be some sort of alien or monster trying to trick me, and I don't know who or how many, and all of one person that I know is safe because he was with me the whole time, and so he has to be normal. Ugh!" She flopped down onto her back and put her hands over her eyes. "I just wanted one day to be normal," she whimpered. "One day to relax and recover. Was that too much to ask for?"

"Okay, never mind, forget the plan, that was a no-go, but I did find something else that was very interesting," the Tenth Doctor announced, striding into the room and pulling up short when he saw her and the children lying on the floor.

"Lyssa?" he asked cautiously, looking concerned for her sanity when she pulled her hands back from her face. "Is there a reason you and the children are lying on the floor? And... are they asleep? I thought mini-me didn't want Amelia to go to sleep. Or have things changed while I was gone?"

"No, just gotten worse," Lyssa said grumpily, rolling over and pushing herself up to a sitting position. "I was talking to him, and he got sleepy to the point that he basically just passed out despite my best efforts. I can't wake him, and Amelia fell asleep during some point as well. Neither of them are responsive, and I don't know why." She sighed. "I don't suppose you happen to have any sort of idea on where to go from here?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," he informed her, striding over and helping her up before crouching down and picking up Amelia, cradling her expertly against his chest. "If you want to grab my future self, we need to go find the others. We'll probably have to leave the TARDIS, but that might be the only way to get answers."

"You don't have to ask me twice," Lyssa said immediately, bending over and scooping up Jamie, frowning when he didn't respond at all to the movement. "The sooner we get this figured out the better. Jamie - that's the name he picked out for himself to differentiate him from you two, by the way - told me, right before he fell asleep, that the reason he didn't want Amelia to fall asleep was because 'she wouldn't wake up again, and then she would get her.'"

Ten froze. "Jamie?" He shook his head. "Wait. Hold that thought. 'She?'"

Lyssa nodded, leading the way out of the room to the kitchen. "Yeah. I don't know what he meant by it either. But... it sounded ominous. Like he knew who she was."

"Well, he obviously knew something that we don't," Ten agreed. "The question is, what? And further, why didn't he just come out and tell us, instead of only giving us these vague clues?"

"I know, right? The Doctor can be so frustrating at times," Lyssa said with a roll of her eyes, grinning when he made a sound of casual agreement before realizing what she'd said and making an offended protest.

They found the rest of the group drinking tea in the kitchen, although Eleven's cup was still nearly full, and he was clearly sulking in the corner while Rory and Amy and Donna traded anecdotes about their travels with the Doctor. They all stopped immediately when they came in, looking up as one and lowering their cups.

"Okay, that was creepily identical," Lyssa muttered, shifting Jamie in her arms and wincing as her headache flared up again under the bright lights of the kitchen. "Hope you guys are all rested up. Things are about to get a whole lot more interesting."

* * *

 **A/N: There's a few key bits of information hidden in this chapter. I'll just leave them there for you to find, but remember: there's a liar among the group… and it might not be who you think it is. ;) Good luck! (Hint: Just because something is implied, doesn't mean it's true...)**

 **Fun fact: The original title for this chapter was "The Oncoming Steve" because I found it strangely hilarious, and it was related to an early concept for this chapter, and Lyssa originally friendzoned the Doctor in early concepts for this chapter. I'll let you take from that what you will. ;)**

 **Another fun face: The child Doctor calls himself Jamie after 2nd Doctor's companion Jamie McCrimmon. (or at least, that's one reason…. ;))**

 **I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas (I had a delightful holiday, even though it was warm, with clear skies and not a hint of snow until the day after Christmas - then it blizzarded for 2 ½ days, lol)**

 **Thank you for all the holiday wishes you sent, they were much appreciated! I hope you all have a Happy New Year, and I'll see you all in 2019! :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Mikari Satsuke, brmngirl, Alix Winchester, ThatBlueStrawberry, afionna262, Dumti, Snafflefang, amrawo, and Angelusica for reviewing!**

 ** _Dumti: Yep. Donna takes great delight in sassing Ten, who's just more than ready for this to be over, lol. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

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	65. Chapter 65 - Running Out of Time

Lyssa shifted the sleeping Jamie so he rested a little easier against her chest in the child backpack carrier Ten had provided. There was supposedly some sort of technology - no doubt something along the lines of 'bigger on the inside' - that took most of the weight, meaning she could walk easily without strain.

At first, she hadn't even thought to use one until Eleven pointed out that they could hardly leave the children alone in the TARDIS while they went out looking for answers, and they would surely get too heavy to easily carry after a few minutes. So, here they were, Lyssa with Jamie and Rory with Amelia strapped to his chest in a similar carrier.

Neither child had woken up during the process, nor had they when they had been changed - Jamie by Rory and Amelia by Lyssa - into clothes that fit better than the over-sized shirts they had previously been wearing.

Ten had scanned the children again, and reported that while both children still appeared to be completely healthy, their melatonin and adenosine levels were far higher than they should have been, to the point that the children were basically forced into unconsciousness. Whatever it was, it acted fast. And they had no way to stop it.

And that was how Lyssa found herself back outside with an unconscious toddler strapped to her chest and a growing headache. They had debated the merits of leaving the toddlers in the TARDIS with someone to watch over them, but the idea was ultimately abandoned after Donna pointed out that the natives might be able to explain what had happened and offer a cure, or be able to do so after an examination that would require the children to be present.

Lyssa had agreed as well, but not for the same reasons. Jamie and Amelia were completely vulnerable at this point in time, and the only person she could absolutely trust was Rory, as he had been with her the whole time. None of the others had a way to verify that they were who they said they were, or even that they were where they said they had been.

Or even if Jamie was the one who was lying about the others being fake, that still meant he was clever enough to act like a proper child and fool the scanners - and the Doctor - into thinking him asleep when he wasn't. And if that was the case, then under no circumstances should he be left alone in the TARDIS, where he had access to all its gadgetry.

Of course, if he was lying about the others being fakes, then there was no way she could trust anything else he said. For all she knew, Ten and Donna and the children were fakes, and Eleven and Amy were real, or vice versa. She had no way of knowing, as they all seemed to have the same memories - or lack thereof - and even the necklace would offer no proof, as Jamie had pointed out that Eleven having another copy in his pocket - or not - would not be able to prove anything.

In short, she had nothing besides the guarantee that someone in their group was lying about who they really were.

Yay.

She shifted Jamie once more, checking to make sure that he was still able to breathe and his nose wasn't mashed up against her shirt. Unable to help herself, she brushed her fingers along his neck until she could feel his two pulses beating against them; steady, but slower than a child his age's should be. Worse, in fact, considering that Time Lord hearts naturally beat faster than humans.

But then again, the heart rate did slow down when at rest, and even more so when asleep, and Ten hadn't said anything about it being off when he'd checked. And the rest of them were right there, so he'd hardly have had the chance to skew the results.

Annnnnd she was getting nowhere. For all she knew, Jamie had just been disoriented by the sudden change from adult to child, and had gotten things mixed up due to all the changes, and they were all real. That was the best option, as it meant that there were two Doctors able to work on the problem and try to come up with a solution.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the most likely option either.

"Well, the planet seems completely normal to me so far," Donna said suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. "No aliens about to try and kill us, no carnivorous plants about to try and eat us, tourists everywhere... seems like the typical resort to me. Nothing too suspicious here."

"I'm inclined to agree with Donna," Rory spoke up, looking around the area. They'd traveled to one of the local market squares, and merchants were everywhere offering their wares. The natives - green-skinned humanoids with solid brown eyes, grass for hair and leaves and flowers woven into clothes - seemed friendly enough, buying and selling, and little children running around in between everyone. "Normally someone's started screaming by now. Maybe Jamie and Amelia came across something - or someone - not native to Atrellian."

"Well, we have to start somewhere, might as well start with the locals," Ten declared, striding across the square to a vendor offering samples of the 'rejuvenating' mud her massage and therapy place offered. Stopping in front of the booth, he assumed an air of vague interest as he grabbed one of the pamphlets and started to leaf through it.

"Can I help you, sir?" the vendor asked, brown eyes alight with interest at a possible customer.

"Oh, I don't know, I'm just looking around at the mo'," he drawled, studying the information in the pamphlet and gesturing for the rest of them to cross. "I'm here with the family, see, and thought we'd take a nice look around, maybe try some of the food, see the sights and all that. When in Rome, you know. I don't suppose you'd have any suggestions on what's good?"

She laughed. "I hear the massage parlor is pretty good," she said teasingly.

"Yeah, I noticed it's pretty popular," Ten agreed, nodding his head at the line of customers streaming through the doors of the business behind them.

"Well, naturally we offer only the best service at Arandi's Massage and Spa," she said eagerly. "And every one of our customers leaves satisfied with their service."

Ten raised his eyebrows, nodding in genial acknowledgement. "If the reviews on this pamphlet are telling the truth, it certainly looks like a very relaxing place to visit." He turned back to them as they gathered around him. "What do you think - oh, what am I supposed to call you lot? I already ruled out gang, and calling you all by name will take a heck of a lot more time than I want to spend."

"Oh, look, you're being impatient again. What a surprise," Donna mocked him, examining one of the mud samples curiously. "'Scuse me, miss, but what's this supposed to do? Take away wrinkles and all that?"

Turning to look at her, the Atrellian tilted her head curiously before seeing the packet. "Ah, you have found our prize product, I see," she said, brown eyes shining with glee. "This mud is composed of completely natural, organic ingredients, specially designed for their rejuvenating properties. It's been clinically proven to re-energize your body, allowing you to look and act years younger, and add years to your lifespan. Not that you need it, of course," she flattered Donna. "But there are others less fortunate than you, and they find relief in our product."

Donna turned to the others, nodding in approval. "I like her."

Ten rolled his eyes. "You would."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You said this rejuvenates the body?" Lyssa interrupted hastily, stepping forward to draw their attention away from the potential squabble. "Does it literally make you younger? Like, if I do the spa, or whatever, will it make me younger?"

Eyes wide, the vendor - who Lyssa only now noticed wore a nametag that introduced her as Atellia - shook her head. "Of course not! No one can do that," she laughed. "But by revitalizing the cells and absorbing all the nutrients, your health is boosted and you appear much younger due to some of the negative effects of aging being reversed. It also has a positive effect on your lifespan, adding years, depending on how often you use the mud." Suddenly noticing Jamie, she clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh, is that your sapling?" she cooed, stepping forward to get a better look at him. "He looks so precious!"

Lyssa smiled uncomfortably, her headache not helped by the sense of impending embarrassment. "Th-thank you."

"You can tell he gets his nose from you!" Atellia declared, looking between Lyssa and Jamie with a bright smile. Her eyes landed on Eleven, and she laughed. "And you must be the proud father, correct?" she asked him.

Lyssa went red at the implication, trying to shuffle away from Eleven without being too obvious. Unfortunately for her, he went along with Atellia's assumption and stepped right up beside her, slinging an arm over her shoulders, although he was careful not to touch Jamie. Looking at Ten for help, Lyssa rolled her eyes and gave up when she saw him just scowling at Eleven.

Typical.

"Very proud," Eleven assured her with a broad grin. "He definitely takes after me. He is literally me as a child."

"Oh, don't worry, I believe you," Atellia promised, the subtle joke flying over her head even as Lyssa elbowed Eleven for it. "And the rest of you, are you all related, or -" she stopped when she saw Rory holding Amelia and standing next to Amy. "Ah, family friends?"

"You could say that," Rory agreed, looking down at Amelia then back up at the vendor.

"With the red hair, she looks just like your wife," Atellia complimented, before her smile froze when she caught got a closer look at Amy. Looking between her and the child closer as if she couldn't believe her eyes, she swung on Lyssa, ignoring the step back the younger woman gave. Now examining the similarities between Eleven and his younger self, she gasped and stumbled backwards, face blanching to a pale green.

"Atellia?" Ten asked warily, appearing torn between suspicion and concern.

The female didn't even look at him, eyes still fixated on Jamie. "I - I - I must go," she stammered. "I - I forgot about an important procedure, please excuse me." Then she turned and fled the area, one of the other locals immediately coming forward and taking her place, apologizing for the inconvenience and introducing herself as Axellis.

"It's all right," Ten said slowly. "We understand how tricky business can be. I've got a bit of a day job myself." He hesitated. "Before we go, though, can I ask - have any of the locals used this special mud before, or just the tourists? Do you have any personal experiences or tips you could share?"

Axellis - appearing to be roughly equivalent in age to a young woman - nodded. "Of course! All Atrellians use the mud! I'm living proof that it works!"

"What do you mean?" Amy asked curiously.

The Atrellian laughed. "I'm thirty-two summers old!"

Ten's jaw dropped, and beside her, Eleven looked similarly surprised. "No. You're joshing me. Go on, pull the other one."

Axellis shook her head. "I swear by Her, I am telling the complete truth!"

"I don't get it," Donna frowned, looking between the two Doctors and the Atrellian. "What's so special about that? No offense, sweetheart," she added.

"Donna... Atrellians normally live to be about ten years old. Twelve at the max," Ten informed her, still staring at Axellis with disbelief. "But - and this is all because of the mud? You've added twenty extra years to your lifespan, and you look as though you could easily live another ten!"

"This can't be natural," Eleven shook his head. "Mud? More than doubling a natural lifespan?"

Axellis dimpled. "I assure you, it is made from completely natural, organic ingredients. And I am still considered young among my people. Our venerable elders are now around eighty summers, and we hope to increase it still further." She tilted her head at him and smiled winningly. "Would you still like to consider sampling some of the mud?"

Ten raised his eyebrows and blew out a considering breath. "I think that I just might. And afterwards, I think it's time we all pay a visit to a certain massage parlor."

Axellis smiled happily. "Excellent! I hope none of you mind getting your hands dirty!"

xXx

Five minutes later, Ten and Eleven were still bent over the mud sample Axellis had provided, whispering among themselves and occasionally using their separate sonic screwdrivers, although careful not to touch them together, and trying their best to keep from touching the mud. Amy stood close by, occasionally interrupting with a question or comment.

Lyssa watched them from her spot between Donna and Rory, careful to stay a safe distance from them and keeping a wary eye on the young boy strapped to her chest. He still had yet to wake or even stir, but his pulses and breathing remained steady, so she tried to remain grateful for small mercies. Unfortunately, her headache had remained constant ever since they had left the TARDIS, and she rubbed her temples, hoping to get some small form of relief.

Rory nudged her. "You doing okay?" he asked her in an aside.

She grimaced, but nodded. "Just this stupid headache. It keeps coming and going, but right now it's just coming."

Rory frowned. "You know, come to think of it, I've got one, too. It never really left, though. Do you think it's related?"

"I dunno." Lyssa chewed her lip thoughtfully before turning to Donna. "Donna, do you have a headache?"

The ginger blinked. "Come to think of it, I guess I do. Didn't hardly notice it before, but now that you mention it, I can kind of feel it behind my temples, if that makes sense. Dunno why, though. I was feeling fine this morning."

"When do you think it started?" Lyssa asked, feeling the beginning of an idea starting to form in her mind, like puzzle pieces starting to come together.

Donna thought about it for a minute. "I dunno. Sometime after I joined you lot on your TARDIS, I suppose. Why?"

Lyssa didn't answer her, instead turning to Rory. "And when did you notice yours?"

He shrugged. "Sometime after Eleven and Amy joined the TARDIS. It might have started before then, but that's when I first realized that I had a headache." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why? What are you thinking?"

Lyssa turned her gaze back to the two Doctors, now bickering lightly over some difference in their conclusions. "I'm thinking that my headache started at the same time."

Donna frowned. "Well, that's odd. All three of us getting a headache at the same time?"

"Yeah..." Lyssa answered slowly, only half paying attention.

Ten and Eleven had both claimed to have a headache, and that Jamie would have one as well, though apparently that was due to there being three of them in the same room, and his senses were more acute due to being a Time Tot. Except... there had been multiple versions of the Doctor in the same room before, and he had never claimed a headache then. There had been three versions in Day of the Doctor, and that had never been brought up.

So why was it an issue now?

She grimaced as the throbbing started to increase, making it harder to think.

"Lyssa? Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes, only then realizing that she had shut them in an effort to lessen the pain, and took a deep breath, ignoring Rory's question. "I don't think it's very likely at all, Donna. All three of us getting a headache at the same time, when there are supposedly three Doctors about? That's a pretty big coincidence. Never ignore a coincidence," she muttered. "Unless you're busy, in which case always ignore a coincidence, because that always turns out so well."

"So you don't think this is a coincidence, then?" Rory questioned, narrowing his eyes.

She shook her head thoughtfully. "If I've learned anything in my time with the Doctor, it's that the smallest things can often hide the biggest surprises. Coincidences are usually anything but."

"Okay, so what is it, then?" Donna asked, shifting to stand with one hand on her hip. "Why're we all getting headaches at the same time? Is it somethin' in the air?"

"Hold that thought," Lyssa interrupted, going to stand by Amy, who was watching the two Doctors with a furrowed brow. Putting on a concerned look, she touched the redhead's elbow to draw her attention. "You feeling okay, Amy?"

Amy shot her a puzzled look. "Yeah. Why?"

Lyssa shrugged. "You looked... I dunno. Kind of bothered, I guess. Just wanted to make sure you didn't have a headache or something."

Amy pursed her lips and shook her head. "Nah. I feel fine. I was just thinking about what we were gonna do if we didn't have a way to reverse all this." She gestured at Jamie. "It's not exactly gonna be easy to have a mini version of ourselves running around, especially if we can't touch them without causin' a paradox, or something like that."

Another puzzle piece fell into place. She nodded, keeping her expression clear and open. "Yeah, I get you. We've got two Doctors working on it, though. Hopefully that'll be enough to fix all this."

"Yeah." Amy returned her attention to the Doctors.

Lyssa cast her mind for some excuse to leave that didn't sound suspicious, eventually settling for something close to the truth. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you were feeling all right, so I'm gonna go stand back by Rory. I wanna keep Jamie away from the Doctors while they're working, just in case something explodes."

Amy snorted. "Wouldn't be the first time. You've probably got a point, but I think they need at least one adult close by for supervision, so I might as well stay here; keep an eye on them."

Lyssa smiled. "Well, you're not wrong." Instinctively cupping Jamie's head with her hand to keep from jostling him too much, she turned and rejoined Donna and Rory, mulling over what information and suspicions she had.

"Did ya learn anything important?" Donna asked once she had settled back into her spot, adjust the shoulder straps of the carrier when they slid down.

Lyssa pursed her lips. "I think so."

"Like what?" Rory asked worriedly, glancing over at the redhead. "Is Amy all right?"

Lyssa raised her eyebrows. "Oh, she's all right. I'd say she's more than all right. She feels perfectly fine. Not even the hint of a headache, according to her."

Donna furrowed her brow. "So what does that mean, then? Why's it only the three of us?"

"Well, Ten and Eleven said they had a headache too, though," Rory interposed. "And said that Jamie likely had one as well due to there being three of them in one room. So then, why's Amy the only one without a headache?"

"Unless one of them isn't telling the truth about having a headache," Lyssa suggested seriously. When they turned to her, she shrugged, speaking in a low voice. "Think about it. Even if it is true that multiple versions in the same room causes headaches for them, why would it cause headaches for us?"

She narrowed her eyes. "More to the point, the Doctor has met different incarnations of himself before on multiple occasions. This is the first I've heard of it ever causing a headache, Time Tot involved or no."

Rory furrowed his brow, obviously mulling over what she'd said. "There's something you're not telling us," he said at last. "What are you not telling us?"

Lyssa opened her mouth, then hesitated, glancing at Donna. While she knew she could trust Rory because she'd been with him the whole time, she didn't have the same assurance for Donna. Could she really trust the ginger, when there was the possibility that she'd be telling a spy - or something worse - about her suspicions?

And, after careful consideration, she decided that she could. Her instinct was telling her that Donna was safe, while she didn't have the same feeling about either of the two Doctors, or Amy. Add to that the fact that Amy apparently didn't have a headache when everyone else did, and the fact that at least one - if not both - of the Doctors was lying; and it seemed like she, Donna, and Rory were the only safe ones left.

After coming to her conclusion, she cast a glance at the Doctors and Amy, before deciding that they were too close for her to chance them overhearing something she didn't want them to. Tugging the others further back until they were nearly hid from the other group by chattering tourists, she still lowered her voice, unsure how far they could hear.

"I don't know which one, and I don't know how many, but at least one of the Doctors, and possibly Amy, aren't real." Holding up a hand to forestall the immediate response, she continued. "When Jamie asked you guys to leave back in the TARDIS, he told me that he'd set up a scanner because this planet - and the people, if they want to be - are dangerous, so he'd wanted to make sure we all were who we said we were."

"The toddler set up a deep scan because he knew the natives could be dangerous?" Rory repeated incredulously. "I know that Ten said Time Tots were more advanced than human toddlers, but this is ridiculous. How much does he actually remember?"

"Apparently almost all of it," Lyssa said grimly. "He said he still remembered us, but he was influenced by the thoughts and whims of a child, and couldn't think as fast. So he set up a scan, and apparently, there are at least two of us in the group who are neither human nor Time Lord."

"But he didn't know who," Rory concluded.

Lyssa nodded. "Just that it was likely that at least one of the Doctors was lying, seeing as if there were two real Time Lords, and one fake human, they would notice it pretty quick. Not to mention, having a fake Doctor means they would be able to confuse us by throwing us off the trail."

Donna nodded slowly. "All right. Say you're right. How do we know which is which? What do we do? We can hardly go around pointin' fingers. We'd get nowhere real fast, and likely just cause more problems."

"Exactly," Lyssa agreed in frustration. "I know Rory is safe, because I was with him the whole time, and I'm pretty sure that you're safe, Donna, because you're reacting exactly like us, and one of the things that Jamie told me is that the imposters wouldn't act like they were supposed to. But Amy was separated from us, as was Eleven, not to mention that she doesn't have a headache. And Donna arrived separately from Ten, meaning that there's no guarantee that he's the right one, assuming that either Doctor is real."

"But if they're not real," Rory said slowly, adjusting Amelia, "then what do they want? It obviously can't be good if they're pretending to be the Doctor, but what's their purpose? It can't be the TARDIS, otherwise they wouldn't have left it with us."

Donna's eyes fell on Jamie, then widened. "What if it's the kids?"

"What?" Lyssa and Rory asked in unison.

"Well, think about it," Donna urged. "All we know for sure is that at some point the real Eleven and Amy were here, because they came here with you. They left, and now we have two pairs both claiming to be them. Along with that, my Doctor and I are pulled here by the TARDIS, where we find you. At some point, at least one of them is replaced by an imposter. They don't want the TARDIS, they've shown no interest in getting one of us alone, but the one thing we've _all_ been _very_ interested in is...?"

"The kids," Lyssa whispered in realization.

Donna nodded in satisfaction. "No one'd look weird for being interested in them, they'd look odder for not being. And, I'd like to add, imposter or no, we were all safer on the TARDIS, as no one could reach us. But where are we now?"

"Outside the TARDIS," Rory finished, clutching Amelia a little tighter to his chest and looking around warily, as if expecting some kidnapper to come running out of nowhere. "Where anyone can reach us."

Donna nodded again. "And the children are fast asleep. They're completely helpless right now."

"Except Rory and I have them," Lyssa pointed out. "No offense, Donna, but we're the only two who are guaranteed to be safe. Which means that unless they want to blow their cover in front of everyone, they can't reach the children."

"None taken," Donna agreed easily. "You can't take any chances when you've got kids to look out for, especially when you don't know _what_ to look out for."

Lyssa cast a glance over her shoulder at the Doctors, who appeared to be finishing up their analysis of the mud. "We're almost out of time. And I don't know about you, but I don't think that going near that massage place is a good idea. I'm sorry, but Atellia was acting _way_ too suspicious when she got a closer look at Jamie and Amelia."

"And that whole bit about the mud having rejuvenating properties seemed just a _bit_ too close to home for comfort," Rory pointed out. "I don't know what, but something about it is just... bugging me. Maybe she placed a bit too much of an emphasis on the wrong word, maybe it's the apparent abilities of the mud, maybe it's just everything I've learned right now, but something's telling me not to go in that building."

Lyssa chewed her lip before admitting that she felt the same. "But how are we supposed to get out of it? We can hardly say that we think something's up with it."

"'Cept, isn't that the whole point of the Doctors studyin' the mud, and us goin' in in the first place?" Donna reminded her. "We all noticed Atellia acting oddly, and I think it should be easy enough to claim that you don't want to risk the kids in there, in case things go wrong."

"Okay, but then what are we supposed to do?" Rory asked. "We can't exactly go chasing trouble, not when we've got the kids on our hands."

"I know. And we can't just bring them back to the TARDIS and leave them there with only one person to guard them," Lyssa admitted unhappily. "For all we know, Jamie and Amelia are lying to us, and managed to fool the scanners. It's a small chance, but one we can't risk, given the superior technology the TARDIS possesses."

Donna sighed wearily. "The situations you get yourself into will never cease to amaze me, Lyssa."

"I'd take offense if it wasn't so true," Lyssa grumbled. "Stupid aliens, trying to take over the world and kill people. I just wanted to have a relaxing soak in the hot tub! Was that too much to ask? Nooo. And yet here I am, holding my de-aged friend while his past and/or future selves argue about what to do."

Rory shrugged. "To be honest, I've been in more complicated situations. I think it comes with the territory. At least we're starting to figure out what's going on before too much time has passed." He looked down at Amelia, his eyes sad. "And I won't let anyone take her away from me this time. Not again."

Lyssa sucked in a soft breath, suddenly realizing what he was talking about. Demon's Run had to have happened recently for him, meaning the wounds - if they could even ever be truly healed - were still fresh.

She bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything for a long time, just closing his eyes and swallowing hard. At last he raised his head, taking a deep breath. "Right. The two Doctors and Amy are checking out the massage parlor. Why don't we go check out the gardens? That's where this whole thing supposedly started."

"But wasn't it 'cause of some pollen that they started changin' in the first place?" Donna interjected. "How're we supposed to keep it from changin' us?"

"Didn't Ten say it was 'cause they brushed up against a plant, though?" Lyssa reminded her. "And we don't know that it was the pollen that changed them. For all we know, it could be a leftover product from something else, or even just from breathing in the air here. He didn't test us, so we could very well have it too."

She sighed. "Which ultimately means nothing. We're not solving anything here. Let's inform the group of our decision, and get going. We don't know if there's a time limit to this de-aging or not. We'll just have to be careful, I guess."

"You know they're not going to take this well, right?" Rory asked with a raised eyebrow as they headed back to the group.

Lyssa smirked. "I'm counting on it."

xXx

As predicted, their idea did not go over well, both Doctors listing a hundred things that could go wrong with them separating from the group. Amy didn't seem to have an opinion either way, although she did suggest that the two Doctors go study the massage center, as they were the most likely to notice anything off, and the rest of them go look elsewhere for clues - the excuse Lyssa had provided for their leaving.

Lyssa shook her head. "Ten and Eleven don't have cell phones, and neither do I. You and Rory do. If you go with them, and Rory comes with us, we'll have a way to contact each other if we find anything. Plus, like you said earlier, they're going to need _someone_ with them for adult supervision."

"Well, why can't you do it?" Amy frowned. "He's more likely to listen to you than me, anyways."

Lyssa raised her eyebrows, pointing down at the sleeping child on her chest. "I've got a kiddo strapped to my chest. Atellia was acting extremely suspicious, that mud is highly suspicious, and Jamie is completely vulnerable right now. I'm not bringing him any closer to that place than I have to, and it's the same for Amelia."

Ten pursed his lips. "She's got a point," he admitted reluctantly. "I'm not happy about it, but she's got a point. Jamie and Amelia are unable to defend themselves, and that massage parlor is as sketchy as an artist. But my sonic's acting up, and we weren't able to get much from the mud aside from the fact that it is, in fact, organic in nature. Which is about as helpful as a snowball in a forest fire. We already knew that."

Eleven narrowed his eyes at Rory. "You've got your mobile with you?"

Rory pulled his out of his pocket in answer. "Fully charged, and the volume's been set to high. We're just gonna have a look around, see if we can spot anything else out of the ordinary while you're in there."

"You will text us immediately if you find anything," Ten ordered, his eyes on Lyssa.

She snapped a salute. "Yessir!" she promised emphatically, grinning when he rolled his eyes at her and turned back to the others.

"Fine. Let's get going. It's obvious she's up to something, but she's not going to tell us what."

"I'd be whistling innocently right now if I could," Lyssa confirmed with a smirk. "Anything else is a spoiler. Catch ya 'round, Doctors!" Tipping an imaginary cap at them, she turned and set off in some random direction, Donna and Rory following close behind.

"Okay, I think they've gone inside now," Rory muttered a few seconds later.

"Okay, great." Lyssa took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Do you know how to get to the gardens from here?"

Rory looked around, then nodded. "We were at one of the beaches facing the water with the kids building a sandcastle nearby, and Eleven and Amy came running up from our right. And if I recall correctly, the beach should be..." he hesitated then pointed to a path by their left. "That way."

"Right, then. Let's get going," Lyssa declared, setting off down the path. "By the way, does anyone else have a feeling of impending doom, or is it just me?"

"Well, I didn't before, but I do now..."

"Sorry."

xXx

"Okay, so what are we looking for?" Donna asked as they entered the gardens.

"Anything out of the ordinary, signs of a scuffle, I don't know. Anything that looks out of place, I guess," Lyssa responded, already scanning the place.

Most of Atrellian's plant life was relatively similar to Earth's, at least at first glance. Lush trees cast shade from the sun, and colorful flowers dotted the landscape. Inside the gardens, stone blocks set a pathway through the greenery, and a vine-covered fence separated them from the other attractions the planet had to offer.

They searched the area methodically, covering an entire section before moving onto the next. It didn't prove very fruitful, however, as multiple people seemed to have gone through the gardens that day, leaving footprints and tracking debris everywhere. It was Donna who eventually noticed something different, and her exclamation of surprise drew the others' attention.

"You okay, there, Donna?" Lyssa called, hurrying to join the ginger.

"I'm more than all right!" Donna exclaimed. "Do either of you feel any different?"

Lyssa frowned. "What do you mean?"

It was Rory who figured it out first. "My headache's gone," he realized with surprise.

"So's mine," Lyssa blinked. "But that means..." She paused. "Well, I don't know what it means, but I don't think it's just another coincidence that we all lost our headaches at the same time."

"Don't forget the fact that our headaches disappeared as soon as we left the group," Donna pointed out. "That's gotta mean something."

"What, like that they're the ones giving us headaches?" Rory frowned. "But how's that work?"

"Maybe whatever it is they're doing to maintain the image of the Doctor and possibly Amy gives us a headache," Lyssa said thoughtfully, taking a seat on the grass. "Like a psychic filter of some sort, only it draws from our memories of the person, and that's why it gives us a headache. I dunno. We'd probably have to ask the Doctor - the _real_ Doctor - to be sure."

"Okay, but getting back to the main issue," Rory jumped back in, "let's assume that someone in the group is wearing some sort of psychic filter that draws the image from our memories and gives us a headache while doing so. Do we know who?"

"Well, we can assume it's at least one of the Doctors," Donna interposed. "And you said Amy didn't have a headache, and she was looking right at them the whole time, so she's probably suspect as well."

Lyssa furrowed her brow, the phrase striking a cord in her memory. "Hang on. When did you say you started noticing your headache, again?"

"I remember first noticing it sometime after both Doctors were on the TARDIS," Donna said after a moment's thought, Rory nodding in agreement.

"That's when I started noticing mine as well," Lyssa said slowly. "Meaning none of us had a headache when it was just Ten on the TARDIS."

"And then all of us - even Ten - started developing one after the adult versions of Jamie and Amelia arrived," Rory finished, running a hand through his hair.

"Which means that my Doctor's real, and he's alone with two clones," Donna realized. "And he doesn't have a clue what's going on!"

"Call him," Lyssa suggested, nodding at Rory.

Pulling out his phone, the nurse dialed Amy, holding up the phone to his ear. After a moment, he pulled it away, looking worried. "It went straight to voicemail. Her phone was fully charged this morning, there's no way it died between then and now."

Lyssa swallowed hard. "They're onto us."

"And they've got the Doctor," Donna whispered, looking worried. "What do we do?"

"Our first priority is the kids," Rory said immediately. "We get these kids to safety before we do anything else."

Lyssa nodded. "Agreed. Let's get them to the TARDIS, we can figure out what to do from there."

"Better hurry," Rory muttered, glancing down at his phone. "Something tells me we don't have much time."

"No," a cold voice interrupted, and they all froze, looking up to see Eleven striding towards them, eyes hard and cold. "I'd say you don't have much time left at all."

* * *

 **A/N: A lot of you guessed that it was Eleven and Amy who were the fakes, and this chapter would, in fact, seem to validate those suspicions... So, congratulations to you all! :)**

 **Fun Fact: You almost found out what happened to the Tenth Doctor this chapter, before I nixed the idea. :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to afionna262, Mikari Satsuke, The Protector of Him, LilactheDryad, Eternal Chronicler, Shelbell25, Doctor11rocks, Guest, V, ThatBlueStrawberry, and DJpaigeDJ for reviewing!**

 ** _Guest: You are absolutely correct. This massage parlor is very, very fishy. And that's not even the worst of it... Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _V: You left a series of amazing reviews that made my day, and made me laugh. Thank you for some hilarious reviews! I really appreciate all the time you took to read and review! Hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa and my own weird plot bunnies.**


	66. Chapter 66 - Sacrifice Play

Lyssa clutched Jamie tighter to her chest, backing up and turning to run. "Get back to the TARDIS! We have to protect the kids!"

"How? He's between us and the TARDIS!" Rory retorted, backing up with her, one hand instinctively coming up to protect Amelia's head.

"There's three of us and one of him, he can't get us all," Donna said brusquely. "We run three ways, I'll hold him off long enough for the two of you to get to the TARDIS."

"Donna, no," Lyssa started, but was cut off.

"I'm the only one not carrying a child, sweetheart, and I think it's pretty obvious that's what he wants," Donna interrupted her. "Now get going! You don't have time to argue!"

Lyssa wanted to argue, but the look in Eleven's eyes - cold and empty, and fixated on her and the sleeping child she held - convinced her otherwise. Donna could defend herself. Jamie and Amelia couldn't. Whispering a broken apology, she turned and ran further into the gardens, splitting off towards the left while Rory ran right, and Donna stayed behind.

Weaving in and out of the trees and hedges, she didn't dare glance back for fear that she would trip and give any followers a lead. Her heart nearly pounding out of her chest, she turned onto a path that led into a more private garden and darted behind a large tree, peering around the edge of it for any signs of pursuit. When she saw and heard nothing, she cautiously edged out, trying to calm her breathing so as to not attract unwanted attention.

Creeping further into the gardens, still ducking behind trees and switching paths every so often, she brought her hand up to check on Jamie again, hoping that he hadn't been affected by her flight. Placing the tips of her fingers on his neck to check his pulses, she was relieved to find that it was higher than it used to be, the double beats drumming against her fingertips in their more natural pattern.

She wasn't expecting the warmth to spread over her fingertips from the point of contact, and blinked at the last bit of assurance that Jamie was, in fact, the Doctor.

"You couldn't have come a little earlier?" she muttered in annoyance, only half joking. "Where were you when I was getting all paranoid?"

She wasn't expecting a response, and so she jumped when he stirred against her, his face pushing against her shirt as he squirmed before his face scrunched up and he started to open his eyes.

"'Sah?" he muttered grumpily, forcing his eyes open before squinting in the light and closing them again, trying to hid his face in her chest. "Too bwight! Turn light off!"

"Jamie, I'm sorry, but we have to be quiet right now," she hastily shushed him, lowering her own voice and looking around worriedly. There was still no sign of his clone, but that didn't mean much, and she picked up her pace. "We can't talk in loud voices right now, okay?"

He yawned widely before opening his eyes again, still squinting in the light, but keeping them open this time. "'Sah, why - why we running?"

"Because you were right and your adult clone is currently trying to capture and/or kill us," she managed, stopping behind another tree to try and regain her breath.

 _That_ woke him up. "What?"

"Shush!" She placed her hand over his mouth and whipped her head around, praying that no one had heard the high voice. When it seemed like the coast was clear, she relaxed a little and turned back to Jamie, who was staring up at her indignantly from behind her hand. She pulled it away guiltily. "I'm sorry, but he could hear you!"

He narrowed his eyes. "What's going on? What's _really_ going on?"

She quickly filled him in, finishing with, "And that's all we know. We still don't know why they want you, or how they changed you, or what happened to Ten." She chewed her lip in worry. "I hope he's all right. I felt kind of bad leaving the two Doctors and Amy alone together, knowing that at least one of them was an imposter, but I had no way of knowing who was who, and so I couldn't warn either of them. All I could do was hope that, as the Doctor, he would be able to defend himself."

Jamie placed his chubby hands on her cheeks and forced her to look at him. "Don't assume the worst," he scolded her softly, wide awake by this point. "Ten is me, after all. He can take care of himself."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," Lyssa teased him.

"Wude," he protested, crossing his arms and pouting up at her.

She snickered. "I'm sorry, but it's hard to take you seriously when you're looking like that. Although, come to think of it, it's hard to take you seriously when you're an adult, too," she mused, smirking when he feigned outrage.

He dropped the lighthearted mood quickly, though, returning to his somber state. "So what's the plan?"

She pursed her lips. "The plan, what little there exists of it, is to get you to the TARDIS, and then find the others. If we're lucky, Rory and Amelia will already be there, and maybe even Donna."

Jamie didn't look too hopeful. In fact, if anything, he looked like he was about to give her bad news.

She was right.

"'Sah... whoever these people are... they were able to change me to a child, find at least my surface memories, and assume my identity. That probably means most of my physical abilities as well."

"Such as?" she asked him warily.

He sighed. "I'm faster and stronger than humans, and my brain works faster, too. If 'Leven even got only those abilities, he can easily chase down Donna. Maybe not Ten, unless he caught him off guard, but..."

"But it's not looking good," Lyssa finished unhappily.

Jamie shook his head wordlessly.

"Okay. Okay." Lyssa took a deep breath. "We can work with that. Mainly because we have to, but we can work with that." She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. "Do you know where the TARDIS is, or how to get to her from here?"

Jamie closed his eyes, brow furrowing in concentration, then opened them a minute later, nodding. "It's not as acc-accur- _right_ as it might be when I'm older, but I can still get a vague idea. She's over that way," he informed her, pointing to the left.

"Right."

"No, left," Jamie corrected her.

Lyssa rolled her eyes, but didn't bother responding. Glancing about for any sign of pursuit, she darted out from behind the tree and down to the left, silently praying that they would make it all the way to the TARDIS without anyone finding them.

They didn't.

She had stopped to try and catch her breath shortly after they'd made it out of the gardens, leaning against a nearby signpost, chest heaving and legs sore.

"How close are we now?" she managed between gasps, panning the landscape for a hint of the blue that meant safety.

"Close. I don't know how close, but we're close," the toddler whispered.

She closed her eyes, sagging further into the metal. "Okay. I just need a minute to -"

"'Sah, duck!" Jamie yelled.

She ducked.

Her eyes widened as a fist flew into the space where her head had been seconds before, slamming into the signpost and denting the metal.

Scrambling out from underneath the arm connected to the hand that would have most likely broken her jaw had it hit her, she took off running for the TARDIS again, this time hearing the heavy footsteps of her pursuer behind her. There was another grove of trees ahead, and she made for that, hoping it could provide at least some cover.

"There's nowhere for you to run, Lyssa Devons," he called, and her blood chilled to hear Eleven's voice speak in such a menacing tone. "Your friends have already been caught. If you give up now I may go easy on you."

"Don't listen to him!" Jamie whispered urgently as she ran into the grove, ducking under branches and jumping over fallen tree limbs. "He has no proof, and even if he's captured them, you can't help them if you get caught too!"

"Is he telling you I'm lying?" Eleven's voice was amused as he, too, entered the grove. "That I have no proof? Well, maybe I don't. And maybe I do. Your friend. Rory the Roman?"

Jamie tensed against her chest, tiny hands clenching into fists.

"He put up a good fight, but there's still little that humans can do against the full might of a Time Lord." Eleven sounded almost casual. "I don't suppose your Doctor has told you all that he can do?"

Lyssa didn't answer, jumping from place to place behind the trees and hoping against hope that she wouldn't land on a branch and give away her position.

"It was almost ridiculously easy," Eleven said in amusement. "Judging from his surprised expression, I don't think he knew how fast or strong your Doctor is, either. Or perhaps I should say, _was_. I doubt he's retained all his abilities now that he's a child."

Lyssa hid behind a particularly large tree and froze, both her and Jamie listening carefully. She had no hope of outrunning Eleven. She knew it, Jamie knew it, and Eleven knew it. Her only hope was to perhaps outlast him until help came - if indeed, help could come - or outsmart him.

This was not going to end well.

"Still not answering?" Eleven asked, not bothering to hide his footsteps as they grew closer to where Lyssa was hiding. "It's not going to help you, you know. I have enough of your Doctor's memories to know that he's told you before how Time Lords are superior to humans."

He laughed suddenly. "You know, for once he wasn't lying to you. I might even just keep this form after this is all over. As much as I like my original form, this is so much better. _Stronger_. More powerful."

Lyssa sucked in a breath, her mind racing through the possibilities. So this wasn't just a clone or Nestene duplicate. This was an alien with the ability to not only mimic others' faces, but take at least some of their memories as well.

That had to narrow down the possibilities as to what kind of creature it was. Zygon, maybe? Possibly Sontarans? Except no, that had been a clone with Martha's memories, not a creature who could change form. Gangers? Except that didn't make sense either.

Jamie tugged on her shirt. "'Sah, we have to keep moving!" he whispered urgently when she looked down at him. "I know how fast I can run, how good my senses are. He's playing with you. Get out of here!"

"I can hear you, you know," Eleven's voice broke into their hushed conversation. "It's interesting, though, how much Jamie's retained. And even Amelia, though her conversion was far more normal. Perhaps it's because Jamie's a Time Lord. I'll have to look into that. I'll have plenty of time, with his lifespan now fueling mine. But you don't have to be here for that, Lyssa," he called. "Or perhaps I should call you 'fairy-girl'?" His voice was mocking.

Both Lyssa and Jamie tensed, Lyssa narrowing her eyes. This... imposter had come in and changed the Doctor and Amy against their will, pretended to be one of them, and was now hunting them down. And now he _dared_ to lay claim to this?

Unknowing - or uncaring - of their growing anger, Eleven continued. "Surprisingly, most of his memories about you are hidden away. They're buried so deep I can't access them, which is a little suspicious, I must say. Makes me wonder what he's hiding, and if it's really me he's hiding it from... or you? But there's enough left to know that he cares about you.

"And so I'll make you this offer, Doctor. Come to me, without any more struggles, and I'll let Lyssa go free. I might even throw in the spunky redhead your past self travels with. The others will have to stay, I'm afraid. You understand how it is. But I'm letting _her_ go, so you know I'm being generous, considering all the potential that she has to offer."

Lyssa took advantage of the opportunity to move further into the trees, hoping that the sound of his talking would cover her movement. Looking down, she froze when she saw Jamie's eyes narrowed in contemplation. "You can't be serious!" she hissed. "You're not really thinking of giving yourself over to him! That's suicide!"

"I already told you that if he really wanted to catch you by now, he would've!" Jamie retorted in the same tone. "If you let me go, he'll take me, and you can escape, and come up with a way to free us."

Lyssa shook her head, staring at him incredulously. "I'm not special or clever like you, Doctor! I can't come up with the solution, I can't solve all the variables and come up with the way out like you can!"

"I'm getting impatient!" Eleven drawled, his voice farther away than it had been before. "And I feel like I should let you know - I'm not used to this much strength. You saw an example of that with the signpost. It would be a shame if I were to use a bit too much of it while trying to restrain you and cause... harm."

Jamie immediately started to struggle in her arms. "'Sah, let me go! It's not worth it, I don't want you getting hurt again because of me!"

"I am _not_ abandoning you to be tortured or experimented on by some freak, so drop the idea," she snapped quietly, tightening her arms around him and trying to see if the coast was clear to move again to another tree.

"'Sah, please! I know my voice, he's not lying!" Jamie pleaded. "He's gonna hurt you, and it'll be my fault, it'll be my hands that hurt you!"

"Doctor." She looked into his eyes and he stilled, face torn between worry and defiance. "No matter what he does, it won't be your fault. Got that? You're not responsible for the actions of others, no matter what they say or do."

"'Sah, _please_!" he begged, tears filling his eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Huh. Funny. I feel the same way about you," she answered distractedly, ducking under some low hanging vines as she moved further down, whispers of an idea starting to stir in her mind.

"Time's up." Eleven's voice made them jump, the venom in his words enough to make her blood run cold. Whenever the Eleventh Doctor had assumed that voice, it always meant he'd been pushed too far. She could only imagine what it meant in the mind of someone with none of his morals and all his strength.

"In the immortal words of the Tenth Doctor, no second chances. No more playing. No more running. I _will_ find you, and you _will_ regret crossing me."

Jamie rolled his eyes, the tears drying up in the face of his imposter's words. "Am I always that dramatic? No wonder everybody wanders off."

She didn't answer at first, too focused on keeping from being spotted. "Hang on, I think I've got an idea for getting you out of here."

"But it's my job to protect you!" he protested unhappily.

She smiled sadly before spotting a small hollow in a nearby tree, just big enough to hold Jamie, and partially hidden by vines. "Not this time, it's not. Now it's my turn." Checking to make sure the coast was clear, she hastily jumped from tree to tree until she was in front of the hollow. Crouching and unsnapping all the straps keeping Jamie attached to the carrier, she lifted him out of the carrier.

"No, 'Sah, what are you doing?" he asked worriedly, wriggling his legs in an attempt to get down.

She didn't let him. "Right now, Doctor, you can't defend yourself. I can. Or rather, I can hold him off until you can get to somewhere where you _can_ defend yourself. Such as the TARDIS. Now hear me out," she continued sternly when he immediately began to protest.

"I don't have the knowledge or skill to pilot the TARDIS, figure out how to stop these guys, or even figure out what's going on. If I can distract him long enough for you to get to the TARDIS, you can take it directly to us."

"But the TARDIS can show you how to do that, she's done it before!" he protested, tears once again starting in his eyes, making the green shine all the brighter. "Why does it have to be me?"

"Because right now neither of us have a chance of making it to the TARDIS," she reminded him, peering around the tree. Whether on purpose or not, Eleven had gone farther down the grove than them, and was looking more furious by the moment.

She felt her heart skip a beat in her chest, knowing what that look promised on his normal self, but steeled herself. "And because I'd rather take on all the Cybermen of Canary Wharf again than face the fact that I left a defenseless child to a horrible fate. Particularly if that child is my friend!"

"'Sah, I'm not worth it!" he whimpered, one tear trickling down his cheek, others threatening to follow.

Her heart clenching in her chest, she hugged him to her, surprised when he returned the gesture with all his strength, as if he could keep her from letting go. "We don't get to decide how much we're worth to others, Doctor," she whispered, a tear of her own making its way down her cheek. "Only how much they're worth to us."

"Exactly!" he protested tearfully. "You're worth too much to me to let you die!"

"And it never occurred to you that I feel the same way?" Lyssa retorted incredulously, her cheeks heating up. She'd called him her best friend multiple times, surely he'd had at least some idea as to how much she'd cared!

Apparently not.

He just stared at her, struck dumb by some sudden realization.

She took advantage of the opportunity to put him in the hollow. Coming back to himself, he tried to protest, but she forced him back. "If you draw attention to us, we'll both get caught! Is that what you want?" she hissed, nodding in satisfaction when he stilled.

"I don't want either of us to get caught!" he snapped before softening, reaching out one small little hand to her. "'Sah, please don't do this. _Please_."

"Sorry, Doctor," she grunted, hardening her heart against the pitiful picture he presented and pulling down a few more of the vines so that they hid more of the entrance. "Doesn't look like this is a good day for any of us to get what we want."

"He will! He'll get you, that's what he wants!"

"Yeah, but he won't be getting you, and that's what he really wants," Lyssa answered absentmindedly, surveying her work with satisfaction. It would hold up to the casual observer, and she would be drawing Eleven's attention away, so... hopefully this would work. "And besides. Once you get to the TARDIS, you can use it to come and rescue me. I don't want to be left behind, got it?"

"I will _never_ leave you behind," he swore, seeming to accept his fate. "Just... be careful, 'Sah. Please? For me?"

Biting the sarcastic remark at the tip of her tongue - he was more sensitive as a child, and the situation was delicate as it was - she squeezed his hand comfortingly. "I'll be careful," she promised. "I'll see you in a bit."

"You will," he swore solemnly, looking her straight in the eyes. "I won't leave you behind, no matter what happens. I _will_ come back for you."

Taking one last look at the worried child, she stood up and let the vines fall fully into place. Checking that the coast was clear one more time, she darted further down the trees, clutching the carrier to her chest in hopes that it would give the impression that Jamie was still with her.

Once she deemed herself far enough away, she abandoned all attempts at subtlety and took off in the opposite direction, crashing through the foliage and making as much noise as possible. It seemed to work, as it wasn't long before she heard the pounding footsteps of Eleven running after her.

Trying to hide the empty carrier from view, she burst out from among the trees onto the beach, now empty of all visitors. She caught a glimpse of the TARDIS on her right, but Eleven was growing closer by the second, and she knew she would never reach it in time. And more than that, it would keep the Doctor from being able to reach it.

So, praying that she wouldn't regret it, and knowing that she likely would, she turned away from her last chance at safety and ran in the opposite direction.

"It didn't have to be this way," Eleven called up to her, not even sounding breathless. "I gave you the chance to give him up. Now there will be no mercy for either of you."

She snorted mentally. Like there was ever going to be any in the first place.

A hand gripped her shoulder and wrenched her around, a gasp slipping out as she stared up into the angry eyes of the Eleventh Doctor. Cold and hard, there was not a trace of the man she knew in his face, hands gripping her arms with bruising strength. His eyes scanned her once before narrowing at the empty carrier in fury, his nostrils flaring.

"Where is the child?" he bit out, his hands tightening their grip.

She winced, but refused to look away, meeting his gaze head on and holding her head high. "Out of your reach," she spat.

His lip curled. If looks could kill, she would have been incinerated on the spot. "But you're not."

She tried not to shiver at the promise in his voice, but failed. Still... if she had to die, she was going to die with dignity. Hopefully. She straightened her back and stood tall and proud.

"No," she agreed, wincing internally when her voice broke halfway through. "But it doesn't matter, because you've already lost."

Eleven's lips twisted into a cruel mockery of a smile. "Lost? But how can I have lost when I have the most important piece to the game?"

"Me?" She stared at him incredulously, then began to laugh. "Goes to show how much you know. I don't have any special skills or abilities. But the Doctor's on his way to the TARDIS right now, and when he's with her, he can do anything."

Eleven tilted his head at her. "So you really don't know then." He sounded almost pitying. Amused, but pitying.

She shifted uneasily, her humor fading as quickly as it had come. "What do you mean?"

He hummed in amusement. "There are many differences in cultures across the galaxy. Atrellian and Racnoss. Time Lord and Human. Silurian and Ice Warrior. But there are two things that are always the same, no matter the species. Do you know what they are, Lyssa Devons?"

Hardly daring to breathe, she whispered, "No."

Letting go of her with one hand, though still keeping a bruising grip on her with the other, he turned to stare out at the landscape of the planet, his voice almost clinical as he spoke.

"Number one: People will do whatever it takes to save those they love, even if it's too late."

Over a year of knowing the Doctor had helped her learn him, his subtle nuances and cues, what his body language meant. Eleven may have been an imposter, but the body was the same, and she recognized, at least subconsciously, what was coming before he moved.

That being said, he also had the speed of a Time Lord, and the back of his hand had crashed into her jaw before she could even flinch, and she went limp, Eleven releasing her as she fell so that she landed in the dirt.

Smirking, he stepped over her limp form to stare down at the distant grove where he knew the child had to have been hidden, and the blue box shortly beyond it. It didn't matter if he'd escaped. He wouldn't leave so long as the girl was out of reach.

"And number two," he said calmly, "is that desperation can blind the most rational of men to wisdom." He narrowed his eyes as he saw a small figure slip inside the distant box. "Your move, Doctor."

* * *

 **A/N: I can practically hear y'all fetching the pitchforks and torches from here, so I'm just gonna get things moving on...**

 **But on the other hand, we're supposed to be reaching -60F wind chill this week, so I might just take the torches... I'd cry, if I didn't think my tears would freeze to my face. :P**

 **Special shout-out this chapter to Wattpad user AllOfTimeNSpace for letting me throw different ideas at her and giving me advice on which option to go with (she's the one who nixed me actually killing Lyssa this chapter - because she's a party pooper - so you can thank her for that).**

 **There is a major hint this chapter as to what the driving force behind the change really is, and it's hidden in a throwaway line... let's see if anyone can find it?**

 **ALSO. IMPORTANT: I will be doing a collaboration arc with AllOfTimeNSpace for this story shortly after finishing up this arc. It will contain characters from her Doctor Who story The Creator (which can be found on Wattpad under said name), and I recommend you go check it out! Everything that you need to know will be explained, so you do NOT have to read her story to understand what's happening, but it will give you more context, and it's a pretty darn good story, so I recommend y'all check it out anyways.**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Alix Winchester, TheProtectorOfHim, Mikari Satsuke, Doctor11rocks, brmngirl, K9, and ShalBell25 for reviewing!**

 ** _K9: Lol, yup. I think that sums up last week's chapter pretty accurately._**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	67. Chapter 67 - The Lab

_When Lyssa opened her eyes, she saw stars floating around her._

 _At first glance, it seemed like she was back in the Time Vortex, jumping to some other random place. The gold mist of the Vortex was swirling around her, and she could see nebulas and galaxies slowly passing her beyond that._

 _"Someone is interfering with the walls between universes."_

 _The unexpected voice startled her, and she jerked back before swinging her head around until she saw the graceful form of Tirdis floating off to the side, staring out into the vast distance of space, looking worried._

 _Awkardly propelling herself to Tirdis' side - half floating, half walking - she tried to see what she was looking at, but saw only the usual expanse._

 _"What's wrong?" she asked uncertainly._

 _The woman pursed her lips, wings fluttering gently. "You are aware that there are other universes out there, correct? Universes where your Doctor and myself do not exist, universes where evil runs rampant without check, universes where time travel and heroes do not exist?"_

 _Lyssa furrowed her brow. "Yeah," she said slowly. "I mean, didn't I come from one where humans were the only species that existed? And didn't the Time Lords used to visit them all the time before the Doctor Time Locked Gallifrey? And didn't he end up in one with Rose and Mickey at some point?"_

 _"A parallel universe, yes," Tirdis affirmed, still not looking at her. "Universes that have a similar timeline to this universe, but a few key factors have been changed. Such as Rose's father still being alive. Others have larger differences. The Time Lords could easily cross to the smaller universes. But some of the larger universes, where things are fundamentally different, could not be accessed even at the height of their power. And nor should they have been!" she added strictly._

 _"There are some things out there that no one, mortal or immortal, should have access to. And others... there are some entities that must never learn of each other. For should they join together, their power would be so great that there is not a force in the universe - in any known universe - that could stop them."_

 _Lyssa shifted uncomfortably. "I'm getting the feeling that one of said evil entities has learned about or teamed up with another evil entity?"_

 _Tirdis inclined her head. "Our foe, the one responsible for so much of the evil in this universe, and who seeks to rewrite time itself, and who trapped myself and all my sisters, is himself physically trapped. He ever seeks to escape and carry out his heinous plan. Unfortunately, his influence did not end with his imprisonment. The age-old foe of my thief, the Master, is himself a servant of the Darkness, though perhaps he does not yet recognize it himself. It would seem the height of irony to our foe that a man who prides himself on fooling others is himself fooled."_

 _"Okay, wait, wait, wait." Lyssa held up her hands, brain swimming with all the new information. "So - the Big Bad Guy is physically locked up, but can still somehow trick and influence people, like the Master? Does that mean that the Master is really a good guy who's been hypnotized or whatever into doing all this awful stuff?"_

 _Tirdis shook her head. "The Master chose his path a long time ago. Yes, he was influenced by both the Time Lords and the Darkness, but his actions - and his love of evildoing - are his own. However, some of his actions are guided by our foe, some more subtly than others."_ _She sighed. "I realize that this is a lot of information to understand at once, but time is running out, and you need to know."_

 _She pursed her lips. "As I have already explained, the Darkness is not the only powerful entity out there in all the universes. This one in particular, has a good one, a female known as the Creator... and many wicked ones. Those who would devour all worlds and time itself if they could._

 _"Thanks to the Darkness, they now believe that they can use you and the Creator together to create a weapon so powerful that none can stand before them, and reality itself will crumble. As it stands now, they cannot enter our universe unless summoned. We can count ourselves blessed that they have not been summoned"_

 _"But?" Lyssa said when she stopped speaking._

 _"But," Tirdis continued, "while they cannot enter our universe, they can pull you to theirs."_

 _Lyssa froze, blood turning to ice in her veins. "Is that why I'm here now? I'm being pulled to this other universe to get turned into some sort of weapon?"_

 _"No. You're dreaming. I pulled you here in your unconscious state," Tirdis hastened to assure her. "Our foe hopes that in their attempts to pull you through, they will weaken the walls between universes enough that he can escape his prison and be free once more. I do not believe that he will succeed. The others, however..."_

 _Lyssa swallowed hard, hand instinctively going up to clutch at her snowflake necklace and grasping at air. She frowned, then let her hand fall to her side. "The others... what? Will likely be successful?"_

 _Tirdis nodded somberly. "Thanks to our foe, I am too weak to keep you here. However, if I can, I may be able to send you through before they pull you, allowing you some time to prepare. If you can, try and find the Creator. You may be the other's only hope." She smiled suddenly, mischief lighting up her face. "She has an ally that I think you will both find very helpful, and that I will find very amusing. In fact, I will do my best to ensure that the Doctor is sent with you, to better ensure that you have all the help you need."_

 _"Okay, but what do I do to stop them or save myself or whatever?" Lyssa asked nervously. "You were all gloom and doom, and now you're laughing at some cosmic joke that only you get, but I'm still apparently being hunted down. What do I do when they find me? And this... Creator person... what do they even look like? How will I even know when I've found them?"_

 _Tirdis' lips twitched. Waving a hand out in front of her, the stars shimmered and faded until they were replaced by a snowy landscape, two figures slowly forming out of the snow. One was a tall man, with silver curls and a thin black coat, his face blurred by the snow. The other was a young woman in a thick coat, reaching up to cup his face. Long white hair escaped her hood, framing her youthful face and silvery-blue eyes._

 _The man ducked his head, further hiding his features, and the woman blushed before hiding herself in his chest as his arms wrapped around her. While they eventually - reluctantly - parted, it was only a slight distance, and the couple leaned into each other at the same time. But just as their lips were about to touch, they leapt apart as if burnt, their forms quickly dissolving into snow before the entire scene disappeared._

 _Lyssa blinked. "Okay... That was helpful. Look for a really cold lady and her boyfriend. I don't suppose you have any tips on how to stop these creatures who're hunting us as well?"_

 _"You have to work together. That is your only hope. And remember: Sometimes it is when things look most wrong that they are going the most right," Tirdis said cryptically. She glanced up._

 _Lyssa did too, but saw nothing. She huffed. Stupid mysterious mentors and their cryptic words and actions._

 _"I think it's time for you to wake up," Tirdis announced. "I apologize in advance for how you're going to feel when you wake up. I can take away the pain here, but not in the physical world." She floated closer to Lyssa, taking her hands in her own, looking her in the eyes. "I know you're worried about what's to come, and rightfully so, but I will do my best to ensure that you have allies. But you're going to wake up in an entirely different situation that's just as dangerous. Please. Be careful, for both your and the Doctor's sake."_

 _"Wait. Why is it gonna hurt -"_

xXx

Lyssa forced her eyes open and almost immediately shut them again, the bright lights sending dots flying across her vision and making her head throb dully. She took a deep breath and counted to five before slowly opening them again, trying to get used to the bright lights. Blinking slowly, she was gradually able to make out her surroundings.

It seemed to be some sort of laboratory. White walls, white ceilings, syringes and beakers and other devices she didn't have a name for littered the shelves and tables in the room. A large window looked out into another area, apparently an underground area, as the walls and ceiling seemed to be made of dirt. There were signs of civilization in there as well, though, the lights glowing softly in a way that emulated the planet's sun, similar to Earth's.

She seemed to have been in one of the corners, although she wasn't entirely sure how she'd gotten there. The last thing she remembered was -

 _A bruising grip. The Eleventh Doctor's eyes narrowed in hatred, directed at her. A hand flying at her face almost too fast for her to even comprehend, let alone dodge._

She jerked, hand flying to her jaw. She flinched away almost immediately, pain radiating from the point of contact. It didn't stop there, though. The entire right side of her jaw ached, spreading up through her cheek. The whole area felt bruised, and possibly swollen. She'd have to have the Doctor take a look at it when -

She nearly groaned aloud before she realized that she should probably be quiet. Ten had most likely been captured by Eleven, and Jamie's whereabouts were currently unknown, but he was unlikely to be able to help out at this point in time. Donna had likely been captured, as she'd tried to distract Eleven, and Rory and Amelia were... also missing. As was Amy, come to think of it, which did not bode well...

Okay. First things first: Find out where she was, find out a possible escape route, and... escape. That seemed like a workable plan. She could figure everything else out from there.

Simple, right?

Pushing herself up from the ground, she winced again when she caught sight of the angry red marks on her arms, bruises clearly in the shape of fingers blossoming around her arms, and another bruise forming in the crook of her elbow, although she didn't know what that one was from.

Seriously, she was getting ridiculously bruised for being on a vacation planet that was all about skincare. She should file a complaint, or something.

Assuming, you know, that she survives this. But hey, gotta look on the bright side, right?

Taking care not to jostle anything, she began to take a closer look at her surroundings. It was a small room, two doors on opposite sides that were - of course - locked. A single window, made of what looked like thick glass and no way to open it. An air vent up in the corner above one of the shelves, a sink in another corner, and not much else.

Three thin folders lay on one of the tables, and multiple test tubes filled with different colored fluids lined the shelves, each with little labels and neat handwriting on them. Thanks to the TARDIS, she was able to read them; not that it really cleared up any of her questions.

 ** _Silurian: unknown lifespan. Conversion: Unsuccessful. Unable to merge safely. *SEE FILES* Discontinued._**

 ** _Sontaran: unknown lifespan. Not viable for further study; infants mature in ten minutes or less, rendering the conversion useless. Discontinued._**

 ** _X'ellian: Thirty year lifespan. Conversion: Successful. Easily merged. Continued._**

 ** _Zygon: Four to five hundred year lifespan. Conversion: Successful. Easily merged, but risky to obtain and results can vary. More tests required. Continue with caution._**

 ** _Haemogoth: Fifty year lifespan. Conversion: Successful. Unable to merge safely. *SEE FILES* Discontinued._**

There were rows upon rows of test tubes, some empty, but most containing some sort of liquid. She only recognized a few of the names, but they were all clearly the names of different species. On the table next to a microscope, she found a few more filled with a dark red liquid that was clearly fresh, much to her growing horror as she realized what they contained.

 ** _Human: Ninety year lifespan. Conversion: Successful. Merge results: TBD. Subject Name: Amelia Pond Williams. *SEE FILES*_**

 ** _Time Lord: Potentially infinite lifespan. Conversion: Successful. Merge results: TBD. Subject Name: The Doctor. *SEE FILES*_**

 ** _Unknown Species: Lifespan unknown. Conversion: TBD. Merge results: TBD. Subject Name: Alyssa Devons. *SEE FILES*_**

She stared at the small tubes for a minute, face scrunching up in disgust. Those were filled with blood.

 _Her_ blood.

Blood they had taken without her consent or even knowledge, and she was willing to bet that they had done the same to the Doctor and Amy. She glanced down at the bruise by her elbow, suddenly aware how she had come by it. She'd gotten the same type of bruise when she'd had her blood drawn for testing as a child.

But why were they taking their blood? What were they doing with it? And what was this whole 'merging' business?

The conversion bit, she got. Eleven had referenced Amelia's conversion, and she could only assume that it meant conversion to childhood. And on that note, that they at least planned to do the same to her.

If they hadn't already started.

Suddenly nervous, she checked for any signs of shrinking or other hints of de-aging. Fortunately, she was no closer to the ground than she normally was, and appeared to be her usual self, if a bit more disheveled and bruised than usual.

Satisfied on that end, her mind returned to the quandary of the tubes. Obviously, she couldn't just leave them there. For one thing, the DNA of a Time Lord could be very dangerous in the wrong hands, or something like that, and there was no way that anyone involved with this had the _right_ hands, so she tucked the Doctor's tube into her pocket, quickly followed by hers and Amy's, thanking the TARDIS once again for deep pockets.

And they didn't even ask first.

Rude.

The question now was what to do with the others. She could hardly fit them all in her pockets - there was easily several dozen tubes on the shelves, and her pockets weren't _that_ deep.

Well.

She'd always wondered what it would be like to play mad scientist, apparently now was her time to shine.

Mentally practicing her insanely evil laughter in anticipation, she found a set of gloves on a nearby counter - a bit large and misshapen, but she wasn't going to be playing with alien blood with _no_ protection on - and went to work.

Fifteen minutes later, she stepped back and looked at her work in satisfaction. Whoever these people were, they had obviously not liked the results of the Silurian or Sontarans, so she had been very careful to mix some of the liquid from those tubes into each of the other tubes as well, so that every tube now had some of the "unmerge-able" liquid in it. Again, whatever that meant.

Of course, she didn't stop there. She mixed a little bit of everything into everything before dumping each bottle down the drain and washing it out, idly hoping that the mixture would somehow clog the pipes and inconvenience them even more.

She'd grabbed the folders off the table, meaning to destroy them too, but stopped herself just in time. Flipping through the folders, she was only slightly surprised to find they contained information on her, Amy, and the Doctor.

Amy's was the most extensive, apparently gleaned from whatever memories the clone Amy got when she assumed her image. Hers was the least, and mainly consisted on brief tidbits that Amy and the Doctor apparently knew about her, although she stopped when she realized that some of the knowledge could be about things that hadn't happened to her yet.

The Doctor's was a flurry of notes, although it was mainly physical information about Time Lords that the clone had access to, and a few hastily scribbled addendums that mentioned that he hid almost all knowledge of her deep in his mind, and was very protective of his companions.

She winced, rubbing her still-aching jaw. Yeah, Jamie - or even Ten - would not be happy when he - they? - saw what she was sure was developing into a lovely bruise.

Moving on, she pulled all the papers out of the folders and prepared to rip them in half, pausing again when she saw another note on the Doctor's file fall out from in between the pages, catching her attention.

 **Lifespan could potentially last for millennia. Blood test suggests extreme adaptability.** **If the merge works, this could be enough to affect our entire population for years!**

She furrowed her brow. The merge again. And something about the Doctor's lifespan would affect the entire planet's population for years if it worked. So... if something merged correctly, it could affect their lifespan.

She already knew the Atrellians could take on the characteristics of the people they impersonate. Maybe they hoped to clone a longer-lived race such as a Time Lord, and then pass on those genetics to their children, thus adding to everyone's lifespan in general? Ten had mentioned that they were - or at least used to be - a shorter lived race.

But then why did they need to turn the original people into children? And why did they pretend to be the Doctor and Amy? They clearly weren't interested in the TARDIS; or it at least wasn't at the top of their priorities list. So why all the deception?

A loud bang sounded from the room beyond the window and made her jump.

Right. Priorities.

Scurrying over to the window, she crouched down and then peered around the edge, hoping to see something that would... tell her something, at least.

It almost looked like a garden. A large, enclosed garden.

The floors were made of dirt as well, except for a concrete section that extended some fifteen feet from the two large metal doors that opened into the room, and one section led to the middle of the room, where it met a huge bush, easily at least twenty feet tall and ten feet wide, and dotted with small, blood-red flowers here and there. Leafy tendrils extended from the bush along the ground in all directions, twitching and curling slightly in some breeze that no doubt circulated through the room.

And if she ever had to pick a plant that felt evil, this'd be it.

Movement in the corner of the room caught her eye, and she craned her head until she could catch sight of them, and frowned when she saw three of the Atrellians, dressed in something resembling military garb and carrying some sort of weapon, push open the large metal doors and hold them open as Eleven strode through, followed by another two soldiers carrying an unconscious Tenth Doctor.

She gasped, then immediately crouched down, half afraid they'd somehow heard her. When she didn't hear any shouts, she carefully crept back up to her original position, heart trying to pound out of her chest.

Ten had literally been chained to the wall, his head falling limply to the side. Eleven stood off to the side, talking to one of the soldiers and occasionally sending menacing looks at the unconscious Doctor.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart and think what to do. The Tenth Doctor was unconscious, and under Eleven's malevolent gaze. Jamie was too small to be of much help, assuming he could even operate the TARDIS at his current height, and there was no sign of Donna, Rory, or Amelia. Or her clone, come to think of it.

She wished she knew if that were good news or not.

Either way, it looked like this time, she was on her own.

Her friends were hurt or trapped. She was in a locked room with no key to the door, and a mad scientist had been experimenting on her blood. She felt sore and achy all over, and was scared to death of what she might find if she did manage to leave.

But she might very well be the Doctor's only hope, to say nothing of the others.

So when her eyes, searching the room for possible tools, fell on the air vent again - just big enough for a human on the small side to fit through - she smiled grimly and set to work.

It was time to be a hero.

* * *

 **A/N: Aww, look at Lyssa, stepping up to the plate like that. My little girl's growing up so fast... *sniff***

 **Lol, when I started this arc, I just meant for it to be something to be cute, fluffy, and short. Instead it's turned into this two month plus monstrosity that's quickly getting filled with angst and verging on horror (depends on the next chapter). What even is my life? But we're getting closer to the end now, just a little bit longer!**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Mikari Satsuke, Eternal Chronicler, TheProtectorOfHim, ZaraSwann, afionna262, yellowroseofthenw, mattmurduck, Angelusica, Joy, LilactheDryad, Alix Winchester, and abbynormal315 for reviewing!**

 ** _Joy: Thank you! It was definitely needed, lol._**

 ** _abbynormal315: So I no longer have the FF app on my phone due to a few issues, and I can't PM you here on the site, so I'm just gonna put it here, if that's okay. Congratulations on starting your own story, and I'm honored that my story was able to inspire you! Tips for editing and publishing, hmm... Grammarly is a free site that checks your spelling, grammar, things like that. Otherwise maybe a beta if you think that could help? (I've never used one so I can't recommend one personally). Make sure there are's a new paragraph for every new speaker, and break up your super long paragraphs so that they don't become a wall of text that's hard to read._**

 ** _I find that looking at my chapter with fresh eyes helps me catch more errors because I've taken a break, so that might help. In regards to publishing, if you meant looking for ways to attract readers, I'd say a catchy summary and title with no spelling errors (I've heard it can turn people off if there are major spelling errors in the Title or summary). Something that catches their attention, and makes it unique from all the other stories on the site (assuming you mean to publish here)._**

 ** _Also, when you save things to the Doc Manager on this site, double check that things stay how you wanted! I can't count the number of times Doc Manager has accidentally deleted something I didn't want it to, and only barely caught in time. I don't know if that's what you were looking for, and if it's not I apologize, but I hope that helps! Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoyed! :)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	68. Chapter 68 - Hidden Heroes

Lyssa forced herself to breathe quietly through her mouth as she crawled through the dusty air vent. At first she'd thought she'd need some sort of screwdriver to get into the vents, or that she'd have to break her way in. As it turned out, the vent cover was magnetically attached to the wall, and all she'd needed to do was apply enough force to pull it away, nearly tumbling off her precarious perch on the shelves below when it finally snapped free.

Once she'd regained her balance, she glanced around the room behind her. She'd done her best to return everything to their proper places, although to anyone familiar with the room it would be obvious someone had messed things up. The really tricky part had come when she'd tried to reach the vent.

If she'd moved the table over underneath, it would have been immediately apparent how she'd gotten out (not that it likely wouldn't have been anyways), so she'd had to trust - hope, really - that the shelves would hold her weight, holding her breath every time they'd creaked or groaned as she'd climbed upwards.

Fortunately, the shelves had been fastened to the wall, and by keeping her weight close to the supports she was able to make her way to the top without knocking anything over, or falling to a noisy demise. From there, she'd been able to open the vent and take a look inside.

It appeared to be just over a foot and a half tall, and roughly twice that in width. In other words - just big enough for her fit in, though there wouldn't be much room to navigate around. Good thing she wasn't claustrophobic.

At least, she hoped she wasn't. This would be a horrible way to find out she actually was.

On the bright side, the dust covering everything meant it had been undisturbed for some time now, and she might actually have some time to get somewhere before her escape route had been noticed.

Taking one last look around the room to make sure she hadn't missed anything, she saw a few scraps of paper on the floor that she'd missed in her clean-up after tearing their personal files to shreds and dumping them down the drain. It would likely be found quickly enough, but there was no writing on them, and nothing that would point to her using the air vent to escape either, so she ignored them.

Everything else appeared to be in order, so she turned back to the vent. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, picked up the vent cover, and crawled in. Once she was fully inside, she curled her body up as much as she could and reached backwards, sliding the vent cover back out into the room and awkwardly tried to fit it back into place. It snapped back into place after about a minute of sliding it around against the wall, only for her to realize that she'd snapped it on upside down.

Stifling a groan, she grabbed the cover again, pushed it away from the wall, and flipped it around, fiddling around with it until it snapped into place again. As best as she could see around herself, it was straight and in place, so she awkwardly uncurled herself and looked ahead of her. She could see a few yards ahead of her lit by the light coming through the grille, but everything after that was pitch black.

The Doctor owed her so much if they survived this.

Taking a deep breath again - and immediately pinching her nose to keep from sneezing when she inhaled dust - she started forward. It was an awkward way of moving, as she was basically army crawling her way in the dark, the low ceiling forcing her down.

She used her hands to feel around in front of her, never knowing if there was going to be a sudden drop or other obstacle in her path. Or worse - something alive, but she forced her mind away from such thoughts. If she was crawling through a tiny tunnel alone in the dark, she had to keep her mind focused, or she was gonna have a breakdown in short order.

She still might anyways, but it was probably for the best to put it off as long as possible.

She crawled along in this manner for what felt like a century, but was probably more like fifteen minutes, before she saw a tiny hint of light in the distance. Hoping that it was a way out, she picked up her speed - although still careful to keep sweeping the area in front of her before moving forward.

She almost cried when she reached the light, so happy to see something break up the pitch black she had been trapped in for so long. It was another grille that she could easily remove now that she knew how.

She almost cried again when she realized that the room was filled with Atrellians, and that there was no way she wouldn't be noticed if she tried to get out this way. Most of them were wearing lab coats, and the rest were dressed like the soldiers, guarding the doors.

"Bethar! What are the results for the human?" one of the scientists, looking into what looked like a microscope, called to the others.

"All test results suggest extreme adaptability," Bethar responded after a minute, looking at a sheet of paper. "The human was converted easily, and this suggests that the merge will be just as successful. Given what Maken has learned from the memories of the Time Lord, it appears that humans are quite susceptible to drugs and other outside influences."

He shifted the page and looked at another one beneath it. "If we place the female human under the Alprazolam, she will likely be drained in a matter of days. According to the tests, this will grant us roughly ninety years, although Mekar claims that the memories of the human suggest that this lifespan varies from human to human."

"Meaning what? That we cannot be guaranteed ninety years?" the other scientist narrowed his eyes, frowning at the other. "We do not often see humans here, Bethar. We must be certain of our results."

Bethar sighed. "I have told you before, Athelin. Human lifespan varies from human to human, and even from male to female. Data suggests that the females typically, though not always, have longer lifespans. I recommend we convert the human male as well, merge him, and compare the results."

Lyssa, watching silently from behind the grille, sucked in a breath as she realized that they were talking about Rory. That meant he was still alive, at least, if they were planning on converting him, but for how long? The one scientist had said the female - likely Amy - would be drained, and that would end up giving them ninety years? But what did that mean? Her lips moved silently as she tried to process all the new information.

At last she shook her head. She obviously wouldn't be escaping through this vent any time soon, and the scientists had turned back to their work, meaning she probably wouldn't be hearing any new information either. Her mind still turning over the facts, she turned away from the grille and continued on further into the vent, quickly getting swallowed up by the darkness once more.

There had been a lot of emphasis on lifespan. From the Atrellians' normal lifespan being extended far beyond what was normal, to the test tubes with the lifespans of all the different species, to Bethar claiming that they could get ninety years from Amy. And she'd already worked out that they were trying to use Amy and the Doctor's lifespan to further their own. Except she'd assumed it was through reproduction somehow.

But... maybe they were straight up stealing it? Literally taking the years from their victims and giving it to their own people somehow? But then why did they have to turn them to children to do it? And what was the Alprazolam that they had mentioned? How would it drain them?

Her hand slipped and she almost face-planted against the bottom of the tunnel before she managed to catch herself. Her heart racing from the sudden surge of adrenaline, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. She was getting distracted in a situation where a single wrong move could lead to her being found out.

She kept crawling, and eventually passed by another grille over a hallway. Soldiers were running through on high alert, barking orders and weapons at the ready. A red light over a doorway opposite the grille was flashing, and she heard what looked like a commander ordering one of the soldiers to alert Maken of the situation. There was nothing she could do here, so she kept going, careful not to make any noise.

Maken. Bethar had mentioned that name, said he'd learned something from the memories of the Time Lord. That meant that he either had learned them from the Eleventh Doctor's clone passing them on, or he _was_ the clone. Either way, he sounded like one of the head honchos, and thus should be avoided.

When she came upon another patch of light five minutes later, she didn't even bother getting her hopes up.

And then she looked through the grille into an empty room, presumably another laboratory. Forcing herself to wait and listen for any signs of someone coming in, she mentally rejoiced when everything remained completely quiet. Trying to push open the grille, her hand slipped and sliced itself on the grating.

Letting out an involuntary cry and clutching her hand, she froze when she realized that she had potentially lost her cover. Still holding her stinging palm, she waited tensely for soldiers to come charging into the room, or even, no matter how ridiculous the idea was, the vent.

But nothing happened, even after she'd waited an extra few minutes. At last she realized that she might as well act now, and hopefully be prepared if someone came in, than wait too long and be caught in the act. Being more careful this time, she latched onto the grille and carefully pushed it away from the wall, tightening her grip when the magnets gave way and it fell forward.

Slowly pushing her way out of the vent, she looked around the room for a way to get down, and saw a bookcase below, similar to the setup in the laboratory she'd woken up in. Placing the vent cover on top of the shelf, she wriggled her way out of the vent and onto the bookcase, careful to test its ability to hold her weight before trusting it completely. Putting the grille back into place, she grimaced when she saw that she'd left dirty, slightly bloody marks on it.

Her grimace grew even deeper when she looked at her hands. They were covered in a solid layer of dust and grime, and there was a thin cut on her left hand that was sluggishly bleeding. Biting her lip (which also tasted like dust, ew), she tried to think. Wiping her hands off on her shirt was a no go, that was just as dirty as she was. The inside, however...

Flipping over the bottom of her shirt, she wiped her hands off on it as best as she could, mentally grumbling at the loss of yet another cute shirt she'd probably end up never wearing again. Reaching out and grabbing the vent again, she wiped it off on the opposite side of her shirt, wrinkling her nose as it only seemed to smear at first.

Finally, however, it was returned to its white state, and she placed it back against the wall, careful to ensure that it wasn't upside down this time. Once that was in place, she looked down at the shelf she was currently on top of, trying to figure out the best way down, preferably without breaking something.

Her best bet was to stick to the supports, and get to the ground as soon as possible before someone came in and found her in an undefendable position. Wrapping her hands around one of the supports, and wincing when her palm protested, she shimmied down the bookcase, dropping to the floor when she was a few feet away.

She grunted as the impact jarred her feet, and quickly stood up straight, checking herself over for more injuries. Aside from the cut on her palm, which felt more like a deep paper cut than anything more serious, and the bruises she already knew about, she seemed unharmed.

Covered in a deep layer of grime, maybe, but unharmed. Still, she needed to wrap up her hand, or at the very least wash it out. She didn't want to know what kind of alien diseases she might end up letting into her bloodstream if she wasn't careful.

Hurrying over to the sink, she turned the water on and rinsed her hand out as best as she could, not daring to trust whatever the Atrellians used for soap. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she wiped down her face and arms as best as she could, only to wince when she caught sight of herself in a mirror hanging nearby. Her face was clean, but her hair was filthy, and even the strands that brushed against her cheeks were leaving marks.

Not to mention that now that the grime was gone, the red mark on her face was showing up nice and bright.

The Doctor was gonna freak if he saw that.

Grimacing, she lifted her arm and carefully rubbed her dirty sleeve against the bruise until it was buried under a nice layer of grime that trailed up to her temple to make it look more natural. Doing the same for her arms, she looked around the room, but saw nothing else that came to mind as being useful in any way, even as information.

Crossing over to the single door, she placed her ear against the cool metal, listening for signs of activity. When she heard nothing, she gingerly turned the handle and pushed the door open, on the alert for any sign of alarm. Still nothing, so she crept into the room, which looked like yet another laboratory, although this one had an examination table in the center, and someone lying still on it, dead to the world.

Upon stepping closer, she realized it was Rory, strapped to the table and a bruise on his arm that matched hers. Several vials of neatly labeled blood sat on a nearby shelf, and she immediately placed them in her pocket next to the others before stepping up next to Rory and gingerly poking him in the arm.

When he didn't respond, she did it again, then shook him gently. When that still did nothing, she gave up on the gentle response and shook him harder, patting him on the cheeks and trying not to cheer when he eventually groaned, his hand coming up in a limp effort to bat her hands away.

Not letting up, she kept shaking him until he was fully awake and mostly coherent. Blinking against the harsh light, he frowned at her. "Lyssa?" he asked blearily.

"That's me," she whispered, hastily shushing him. "Keep your voice down. I don't know who else is around here." Trying to undo the straps around his arms, she tugged at the knot uselessly before turning back to him. "I don't suppose you have a pocket knife on you?" she asked hesitantly.

Still blinking as he tried to reorient himself, he managed to nod. "Left front pocket. I try to keep one on me at all times. Can't count how often I've had to use it when someone's hurt themself and I have to improvise. Careful how you open it, though. It's a bit tricky."

Quickly locating the knife, she unhooked it from his pocket and - after nearly slicing her fingers open and enduring Rory's "I told you to be careful" - set to work on Rory's straps, bringing him up to speed on what she'd discovered so far, glossing over how she'd been captured.

Once his arms were free, Rory explained what had happened from his end while she went to work on his legs, rubbing his forehead. "Amy - the fake one, I mean - got me while we were on the run. We'd cut through the gardens, and were almost to the TARDIS when she jumped out from behind one of the tress and hit me with a branch or something. I dropped like a rock before -" He sat up suddenly, startling Lyssa and almost making her drop the knife. "Amy! I mean - Amelia! Where is she?"

Lyssa bit her lip. "I don't know, but I think I can guess." Cutting the last strap free, she handed the knife back to him after unsuccessfully trying to close it. He closed it easily and returned it to his pocket, sliding off the table and standing on slightly shaky feet. "Do you feel all right? No signs of de-aging, or lack of memory, or anything like that?"

"I feel like I do every time Amy gets herself into trouble," Rory assured her, frowning at the bruise. "I'm guessing they withdrew blood?" At Lyssa's confused look he smiled. "I'm a nurse. I know what a bruise from a shot looks like, and the placing is too specific to be anything else."

"Oh. Uh, yeah." Lyssa tapped on her pocket. "They did it to all of us, but I think I got all that they took from us. Put it in my pocket, figured the Doctor might want to take a look at it. Who knows, maybe it'll even help them come up with a cure for the shrinking, or something."

"Yeah..." Rory blew out a slow breath. "Speaking of the Doctor, I know you said the past him was trapped in here somewhere. I don't suppose you know how we're supposed to get out of here so that we can go rescue him? Won't be much of a rescue if the rescuers end up needing to be rescued."

"Uh..." Lyssa hesitated, eyes flying around the room, halting on a lab coat hanging on a hook. A daring idea came to mind, and she grinned. "It's a good thing that the Atrellians have so many things similar to Earth," she diverted, darting over, grabbing the coat, and handing it to Rory.

"Dare I ask why?" he asked slowly, staring at the coat uncertainly.

She shrugged. "What is the Doctor always says? If you act like you know what you're doing, people will rarely stop you. Fake it till you make it, right?"

He nodded slowly. "Okay. Fake what? I'm not exactly following you here. I don't look like the Atrellians, Lyssa. I won't be able to blend in, even with the coat."

"No, we don't look like them, _but_ ," Lyssa smirked. "They look like us."

"Hold on." Rory pointed a finger at her. "You want me to pretend to be one of the clones?"

Lyssa pointed right back at him. "Bingo. I already overheard one of the scientists talking about converting you, so you can just pretend that you've already been converted, and that you're one of the scientists assuming his identity."

"Okay, but what about you?" Rory pointed out. "Two of us together might be a bit suspect. Especially since you look a bit... dirty," he hedged.

"Thank you for reminding me," Lyssa grumbled. "Still, you have a point." Crossing her arms, she began to pace. "Maybe... maybe we say that you found me wandering in the halls, and took on your identity to pretend to be you, so that you could capture me. And then say that you're supposed to bring me to the Tenth Doctor under Maken's orders. He's one of the head guys."

"Let me get this straight," Rory blinked. "I'm supposed to pretend to be someone else pretending to be me so I could take you captive, and then pretend I'm bringing you to the Tenth Doctor, where the clone of our Doctor is likely waiting for us."

"Um... yes?" Lyssa grinned sheepishly.

Rory sighed. "Won't be the first time, I suppose, and it probably won't be the last. But I don't think I should wear the lab coat, though. I wasn't wearing one earlier, and if I'm pretending to be me, wearing a lab coat would have made you suspicious."

Lyssa shrugged. "Okay. If you think you can fake it without it, go ahead. I'll try and act resentful or something, play up the ruse."

xXx

And that's the story of how she ended up stalking through the hallways with a scowl on her face and crossed arms as Rory strode behind her, back straight and radiating a casual confidence as he pretended to push her along every few yards.

They were only stopped once by a curious guard, but Rory, pulling out all the stops, verbally tore into him for stopping someone "under direct orders to bring her to Maken for further testing due to her biological abnormalities, and if he knew anything about biological testing and compatibility, he was more than welcome to take his place." The guard had quickly apologized, and they had been left alone after that.

"On the one hand, I'm glad we're being left alone, but on the other hand, I have no idea where I'm going," Rory muttered after a minute.

"Just fake it till you make it," Lyssa muttered under her breath. "I know we're traveling in the reverse direction of the way I crawled, so hopefully we'll end up in the same area. If you see a giant plant with tendrils shooting out every which way, let me know. It's probably the right area."

"Oh, yeah, that's helpful. Thanks," Rory snarked, turning a corner into a deserted hallway. "If I see a giant plant that looks -" He paused, then sheepishly continued. "Okay, I see a giant plant with tendrils everywhere."

He tugged her over to a small window overlooking a large dirt room. At the center of the room was the bush she had seen earlier, although she was unable to see the Tenth Doctor or the clone from this viewpoint. "Is this the right place?"

Lyssa nodded frantically. "Yeah, this is it. This is where the Tenth Doctor and the clone were. How do we get in?"

Rory looked around. "Uh, there's a door a few meters down the hall. Try there?"

Lyssa shrugged. "Can't hurt. Running down the hallway to the door, she turned to Rory, who stood on the other side of the doorway. "You ready for this? There might be people in there."

Rory raised his eyebrows at her. "Lyssa, these people have kidnapped my wife and the Doctor, pretended to be them, experimented on us, and are going to kill Amy and the Doctor if we don't stop them. I will do whatever it takes to stop them."

Lyssa blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Okay, yeah. Right. Sorry. Let's go."

Taking the lead and not even bothering to be subtle, Rory threw open the door and charged in, followed close behind by Lyssa. After looking around and not seeing any sign of an opponent, he pushed the door shut. "I'm guessing that's our way in?" he asked, nodding at a door on the other side of the room, which appeared to be a closet of some sort, with protective gear and uniforms hanging against the wall and various tools and supplies laying underneath.

"Well... better arm ourselves now," Lyssa suggested, reaching down and grabbing a pipe. "I've used one of these before, fought off a killer sun. Maybe I can use it again."

"I'd ask you to explain what you meant by that, but I've traveled long enough with the Doctor that I don't think I need to," Rory muttered, looking around for something to use.

A quiet voice came from the corner, making them both freeze.

"You know, you can learn a lot by looking through a girl's memories." The slim figure of Amy's clone stepped out of the shadows, smirking at them both. "Take Amelia Pond Williams, for example. Just a quick glance through there, and whoo! She has a lot of trust in you, Mr. Williams. I wonder how she'll feel when you don't come for her." She pouted playfully at Rory, who looked disconcerted. "But then - she's felt that before, hasn't she?"

Rory stiffened, glaring at the woman. "I always come for Amy. _Always_. And she knows that."

"Does she?" the woman hummed. "I don't know, Rory. A lot of these memories are showing you arriving just a bit... too... late. Do the words Demon's Run bring a bell?"

Something seemed to shift in Rory, and suddenly the friendly nurse was gone, leaving the Last Centurion in his place. Strong, angry, and very, very dangerous.

"Lyssa, go find the Doctor. I'll take care of her."

"Ooh, like we're taking care of your Doctor and Amy?" the woman purred. "Maybe I should be worried. Except - I'm not. Don't take it personally, dear. You are only human, after all."

Rory only smiled crookedly. "Funny you should mention that. I wasn't always human, you know. And Amy, my Amy... doesn't know how much I love her, or what I'd do to protect her. What I _have_ done to protect her. Don't take it personally. After all, at the moment, you are only human."

The clone's eyes narrowed. "You forget. I have access to most of Amelia's memories. I know how to read you. I know you fought with a sword. But you don't have one with you today." She pulled out two sharp daggers, brandishing them easily.

Lyssa whispered a quiet, "Good luck!" to Rory before darting to the other door and, clutching the pipe in her hand, gently pushed it open, slipping through as soon as she could and letting it silently fall shut again behind her.

Rory glanced down at his pocket, as if contemplating brandishing his pocketknife, before dismissing the thought with a shake of his head. He turned back to the clone with an easy smile, not a hint of worry or even acknowledgement of the daggers on his face.

"And you forget," he retorted easily. "I have _all_ my memories. I know Amy. And I know something you seem to be forgetting."

"And what's that?" the woman sneered, finally taking a step forward and swiping her dagger at him experimentally.

He dodged it, and the follow-up, expertly, dancing to the side and twisting out of reach before his hand snapped up to grab her wrist and twisted it around behind her. "I don't need a weapon to be able to take you down. I'm a nurse."

* * *

 **A/N: All the respect for nurses, man. They put up with a LOT. That being said, they also know your pressure points and how to knock you out. (No, I'm absolutely not speaking from personal experience. What are you talking about?) Respect the nurses! O.O**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to: kittyrsocute, Mikari Satsuke, katethepinkarrow, TheProtectorOfHim, LilactheDryad, Alix Winchester, DJpaigeDJ, and afionna262 for reviewing! Your support is amazing, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**


	69. Chapter 69 - Conversion

The first thing he could see was black. Total darkness until it was lit with a bright light, and he wished he could go back to being blind. Fire raced through his veins and burned itself into his vision until the only thing he could see was the white-hot agony as his body started to tear itself apart.

 _He'd been walking in the gardens with Amy, both of them struggling to be honest with each other in the midst of a painful conversation when the Atrellians had come. Scientists and guards, too many for them to outrun and spraying a gas that made the plants around them come to life. The last thing he'd seen was a vine winding around his leg._

He could hear something ripping. Fabric tearing, bones breaking and knitting themselves back together. Someone was screaming. A child, perhaps, or maybe a man. It might have been him,

 _He'd woken up in a laboratory strapped to an examination table with multiple needles in his arm. He could hear the low mutter of conversation through an open door into a nearby room. Amy lay on a table next to him, out cold and in similar straits. He whispered her name. She didn't respond. She didn't wake up when he started screaming either._

He could taste blood in his mouth, a hot gushing liquid that spilled out over his chin and down his throat, making him cough and retch.

 _He could taste blood in his mouth, making him sputter and cough as he struggled against his restraints. He turned his head to the side, trying to clear his mouth enough to breathe._

In one of the brief pauses between flashes of pain, he collapsed to the floor, the familiar scent of the TARDIS filling his nose and letting him relax. He was safe here.

 _He collapsed back against the table, panting, his eyes struggling to open again each time he closed them. The scent of metal and blood, of sweat and tears filled his nostrils, forcing him awake each time he almost gave in to the tempting darkness. He wasn't safe here._

His back arched off the floor as another jolt of agony ran through him. He could feel stretching and pulling, breaking and healing, everything at once, seizing up his lungs and locking his muscles as his body pulled itself apart and put it back together over and over again.

 _His fist smacked against flesh as he punched the Atrellian threatening Amy. Ignoring the now unconscious soldier, he ripped at the straps trapping her to the bed until they tore. Lifting her into his arms, he suppressed the urge to just lay down and sleep as he ran out of the laboratory and through the building, trying to find a way ou_ _t. He was so tired, but if he fell asleep here, neither he nor Amy would ever wake again._

xXx

He sat upright with a gasp as consciousness returned completely, senses abuzz and all the mental shields he carefully maintained completely gone. It was a sensory overload, and he curled into a ball, trying to limit the stimulation his brain was currently being flooded with. He heard the concerned hum of the TARDIS before a warm feeling akin to a heavy blanket was draped across his mind, blocking out all but the minimum amount of information needed.

He nearly collapsed in relief, smiling weakly as he struggled to rebuild his shields. "Thanks, old girl," he muttered, patting the floor in a weak effort to show his gratitude.

He sat in silence, barely noticing his surroundings as he slowly put his shields back up, one by one. In turn, with each successive shield back in place, the TARDIS lightened the barrier it had placed around his mind, although she kept it in place until he was fully recovered and nodded his assent, smiling gratefully at her, though it fell when his memories returned as well.

Pushing himself to his feet, he leapt for the controls only to stop when the TARDIS flashed her lights at him warningly. "What?" he asked indignantly, glaring at the ceiling. "Lyssa's in danger, and so's everyone else. What do I possibly need to do that can't wait?"

The voice interface flickered into existence, taking on his form. It didn't speak, just stared at him silently.

He glanced down and sighed. "Point taken."

The interface disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"I mean, I want to get a reaction when I show up," he admitted as he ran down the staircase below the floor and opened up a storage box, pulling out a set of spare clothes. "But getting arrested for public indecency is not the reaction I'm going for. If I'm to be arrested, I'd rather it be for blowing stuff up. That's much more fun."

One of the downsides of being changed into a toddler, then back to an adult again? The clothes don't change with you, and toddler clothes are not designed to accommodate a grown adult.

"Really, that's a serious design flaw," he muttered, charging back up the stairs once he was fully dressed minus his coat. "I mean, you'd think they'd have come up with a solution by this point!" Grabbing his coat off the floor, he swung it on and searched around until he found his old shirt. Grabbing Lyssa's necklace, he kissed the snowflake charm before setting it on the console.

"C'mon, old girl," he called, twirling a dial and watching in satisfaction as the rotor began to move. "It's time to find our girl."

* * *

A/N: Just to allay any confusion, this is happening roughly the same time as last chapter. I don't want to reveal too much, but rest assured that the final confrontation between fake!Eleven and Lyssa is very much still going to happen, and the real!Eleven will not be nearly as involved in the take down as he might like to be.

In other news, we've been buried under like three feet of snow this week, and there are snow drifts - drifts mind you - that are almost as tall as I am. :/ I can't wait for summer. :P

Also, I watched HTTYD Hidden World this weekend. 10/10, would cry again if I watched it.

Special thanks to everyone who's favorited, followed and commented! Your support is amazing!

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)

General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa


	70. Chapter 70 - The Clone Wars

Lyssa bit her lip as she held the door shut, silently praying that Rory would come out the victor in his confrontation with the fake Amy. Then, reluctantly turning her mind from him, she turned around and scanned her surroundings.

By sheer luck she seemed to have found one of the only doors that wasn't completely open to the rest of the room, the corner she was in being blocked off from the rest of the room by large boxes stacked twice as high as her head. There was another door just to her left, but she couldn't hear any signs of activity inside, so she decided to ignore it for the time being and hope that it wouldn't come back to bite her.

Not sure who all was in the room with her, she crept forward through the boxes as quietly as she could, crouched low to the ground. Reaching the end of the boxes, she poked her head around the edge, and immediately dodged back behind them again.

The fake Eleven was there, staring down at a still unconscious Ten, hanging limply from his chains.

"You know, for being one of our first specimens of a Time Lord, you're not putting up a very good fight. I know what you can survive." He laughed coldly. "I know what you _will_ survive, thanks to your future self's memories, wherever he might be." He crouched low, so that his face was close to the Doctor's. "You've survived so much. It almost seems a pity that this is where you fall. Don't take it personally, Doctor. It's just business."

He stood up with a sigh, seeming to study the Doctor's still form. "I could make it easier on you if you complied, but something tells me you won't. Not without her, at least. Good thing I've got her, then." He paused, his hand going to his ear. "Yes, I'm here. Send Maesita to do the conversion on her now. I want as much information on the girl as I can get, the Time Lord's locked most of it away behind shields I can't get through. He'll spill whatever we want if we play our cards right."

He paused again, a slow grin creeping onto his face. "Really? Well that does change things. Keep him there until I arrive. I'll be there shortly." He dropped his hand and leaned down, putting his mouth by the Doctor's ear and adopting a false cheer. "I'm going to have a playmate for you soon. Have a nice nap! It'll be time to wake up all too soon."

The Doctor didn't respond, didn't even twitch. The false Eleven scoffed, standing to his feet and kicking him lightly. "Pathetic. I can't wait until you've been merged and we're done with this whole business." Stalking to the set of double doors, he looked back one last time and smirked. "Sweet dreams," he crooned before disappearing through them, the doors falling shut with an ominous click.

Lyssa waited a minute to be sure he wasn't immediately coming back before setting her pipe on the floor and darting towards the Doctor, falling to her knees in front of him. "Doctor!" she hissed, tentatively shaking his shoulder. "Can you hear me? Are you all right?"

Tugging on his chains in a pathetic and inevitably fruitless attempt to free him, she paused when he didn't respond. Looking him over for signs of injury, she frowned when she caught sight of a slight discoloration behind some of the hair that had fallen over his forehead.

Pushing the hair back, she sucked in a breath at the developing bruise spread across his right temple. Brushing her fingers lightly across it, she winced in sympathy at the large bump already forming. "That's not gonna be fun when you wake up," she whispered. "But, you know, it would be nice if you did wake up; so would you mind picking up the pace a little?"

Brushing his hair back, she let her hand fall to the side of his face, wishing he wasn't hurt. A rush of warmth went through her hand where they were touching, and a flash of gold appeared around her hand, swirling through her skin and into the Doctor's.

She jerked her hand back as if it had been burned, staring at it with wide eyes. That had never happened before. It almost looked like regeneration energy, except... she didn't have regeneration energy. Or at least, she didn't used to have it. She swallowed hard, trying not to freak out. This was just more proof of her changing, becoming less human. Becoming more like the woman in the hotel.

She shook her head. She refused to let that become her future, to let her fears define her. Everyone changes as they grow older, this was just another sign of her maturing as a person. She could change physically all she wanted, but she wasn't going to let herself lose her humanity.

And hey, maybe that woman wasn't even her. Maybe it was some physical embodiment of her fears, but wasn't actually her.

She could dream, right?

The Doctor stirred beneath her, groaning slightly as his head fell to the side.

"Doctor?" she asked immediately, bending to see his face. She jumped when he groaned again, eyes still closed, but his forehead wrinkling as he started to stir. "Doctor?" she asked again, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

A loud bang sounded behind the double doors, and she flinched, whirling around to face them. They didn't open, but the sound was repeated, followed by yelling, growing closer to her and the Doctor.

She had to leave.

She turned back to the Doctor, cupping his cheek once more. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I have to go. Please be all right. I'll come back if I can." She hesitated before leaning in to kiss his cheek with a blush, her embarrassment skyrocketing when he murmured her name, leaning - _falling_ , he was _unconscious,_ she told herself firmly - into her touch.

She got up to leave as the shouting grew closer, almost outside the door. She turned back to look at him one last time, then darted back to her boxes, peeking through a crack between layers just as the doors were flung open and the fake Eleven strode through.

"Welcome to your new home!" he proclaimed proudly, throwing his arms open wide. "You won't be leaving here for a very long time, so do try to get comfortable. It makes things so much more interesting for me."

Lyssa watched in confused shock as another adult Eleventh Doctor - how was he an adult? -wearing a different shirt and pants was dragged into the room by two guards, struggling wildly against his captors. She could tell by the way he carried himself that he was in pain, but that didn't stop him from trying his hardest to get free as he was chained to the wall next to the Tenth Doctor.

"You might as well not even bother, Doctor," the clone said in amusement. "I mean, I find it quite enjoyable to watch you struggle, but all it's going to do is prolong the inevitable. I know how strong you are."

He smirked. "I know how easy it is to hurt someone. Did you know that human girls are that fragile? Because I didn't. I might have made a tiny mistake, but that's okay, right? Humans adapt easy. They heal pretty quick too."

"If you've hurt Lyssa -!" The Doctor bit out furiously, cutting himself off abruptly and glaring at the clone.

"You'll do what?" the clone mocked him. "Throw empty threats at me from your chains? Glower menacingly, perhaps? Oh, I'm so scared! Maybe I should bring the girl in here to protect me from you! If, you know, she's conscious. I rather doubt it though. I may have used a bit too much force on her."

The Doctor snarled, lunging at him, but was jerked back by the chains. Ignoring the way the clone began to laugh, he continued to struggle against his bonds, only stilling when the clone stopped.

"I don't make empty threats," he growled lowly. "You of all people should know that. Look through my memories and find out what I do when the people I care about are threatened. I always make sure to leave at least one of those memories unguarded."

The clone sighed, nostrils flaring in frustration as he glared at the Doctor, who returned the gaze with equal malice. "I've already seen it. I've seen all the memories I can access, remember? But you're also forgetting that you were free when you got revenge."

He strolled closer to the Doctor, staying just out of reach as he gloated. "You have caused enough problems that you'll be merged immediately. We'll just do all our experiments on your past self before we convert him. Shouldn't be a problem."

"I've been in worse situations and still gotten free," the Doctor bit out, arms tensing as he strained against the chains once more.

The clone shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, yeah, you definitely have. But you know what else you had in those situations?" He leaned in close, practically purring. "Lyssa. And guess who has her this time?" His lips curled into a smirk. "Not you."

He jerked his head back just in time as the Doctor's fist flashed where his face had been moments before. "Ooh, feisty!" he chuckled. "You don't like it when people threaten Lyssa, then." He whistled. "Well, Doctor, have I got some _bad_ news for you."

The Tenth Doctor groaned, shaking his head before tensing as awareness started to return. He lifted his head tiredly, squinting against the bright lights in the room.

"Oh, look who's awake!" the clone clapped. "How good of you to join us, Doctor! We've been waiting for you!"

"What...?" Ten just blinked at him slowly, still not fully awake. He shakily got to his feet, only realizing that he was restrained when he tried to push off the wall and walk away, and found himself unable to move more than a foot. He stared at the manacles on his hand uncomprehendingly, following the links to the wall.

He scanned the room, taking in the giant bush, his future self in similar straits, and the clone. Alertness returned in an instant, and he straightened, immediately testing his restraints, only to meet with similar results as the Eleventh Doctor.

His head whipped around to the clone, and he glared at him. "You!" he snarled.

The clone waved cheekily at him. "Me. Hello again! The name's Maken, by the way. Did you have a nice nap?"

"Where's Donna?" Ten demanded angrily, wrists straining against the manacles.

"Not even a 'how do you do'," Maken pouted, crossing his arms. "How rude. But that's not the point. Now that you're awake, we can finally get started! Do you know how long I've been waiting?"

"Not long enough?" Eleven muttered, leaning back against the wall. To an outsider, it almost looked as though he was relaxing, and had given up trying to break free. But Lyssa could see the way he held himself, and the tension in his muscles. He was getting ready to act.

"Funny." Maken rolled his eyes, putting a hand to his ear. "Is Maesita ready for the other female yet? I need her converted within the hour." He paused, listening. "Well, tell her to get a move on! The Time Lords won't cooperate unless we bring the girl into it."

He sighed, lowering his hand and turning back to the two Doctors. "Sorry about that. You know how work gets. So much incompetence. Anyways, let's get down to business. Do you know why you're here?"

The two Doctors just stared at him wordlessly in contempt.

He sighed again. "I'm trying to figure out how much you actually know. Time Lords have a much higher capacity for intelligence than any other species I've converted before, and I'm curious to see how close to the truth you get before I merge you."

He rolled his eyes when the silence continued. "Look at it this way. The longer you talk to me, the more time you have to come up with an escape plan to get free and wreak your revenge."

Ten raised an eyebrow. "And the more time you have to convert Lyssa and the others."

The clone rubbed his forehead. "She never said Time Lords were as hardheaded as a rock when she told us about you," he complained under his breath. He raised his voice. "Lyssa and the others will be converted either way if they haven't already been. Your stalling tactics will do no one any good."

Eleven stared him down for another minute before sighing and seemingly giving in. "Atrellians biologically only live to be about ten years old. Axellis claimed to be thirty-two, and said your elders were at least twice that. You make most of your money off of your regenerative mud in your spas. You have a side business where you convert adults to toddlers, and at least some of your people have the ability to assume the features and memories of your victims. When Amy and I escaped, you assumed our identities and followed us, presumably to get us back."

Maken smiled. "You're on the right track so far," he admitted. "What else? That's all well and good, but it doesn't mean anything unless you put two and two together and get four."

"There's a high emphasis on the mud being organic," Ten spoke up, his voice steady and deliberate. "Too much emphasis. The casual listener would assume that to mean that it's chemical free."

Maken's smile was growing wider. "But?"

Ten glared at him, the disgust plain on his face. "But organic has two definitions. One: being chemical free. Two: relating to, or derived from, living matter. Your people as a whole have been seeking to enhance your natural lifespan since your planet was discovered centuries ago. Now, your people are suddenly more than quadrupling your lifespan.

"Your mud has the ability to rejuvenate people - you claim your mud adds years to a person's lifespan and makes them look younger when it never had that ability before you had visitors. You turn people into children, thus resetting their biological clock. Those children are conveniently never heard from again, replaced by someone who looks and talks just like them."

"You've got two and two now," Maken hummed. "Now what do you get if you put them together?"

"The mud is organic," the Eleventh Doctor bit out. "It's not chemical free, it's made from living matter. Made from _people_. You use it to absorb the years of the people you turn into children, and then use the mud on yourselves to make yourselves live longer."

"Give the men a prize!" Maken clapped before pausing, looking thoughtful. "Actually, since the two of you are technically the same person, would it be 'give the _man_ a prize'?" He shrugged. "It's all the same in the end, so I suppose it doesn't really matter. Both of you will be merged. The only difference is, if I'm feeling merciful, I might just convert you first. Only Ten, though. Eleven had his chance at mercy."

He strolled over in front of Eleven, chuckling darkly. "You see, in our bountiful kindness, we try to make sure our specimens are children when we merge them. It's much less painful, and they usually end up falling asleep before they're fully absorbed." He put on a look of fake surprise at the Doctors' startled looks.

"Oops. Did you not figure that bit out? Yeah, they're totally absorbed into the mud. That's the merging process. We set them by the Alprazolam, and they're slowly absorbed by it. It's the only way to ensure that all the years are fully dispersed. Then, once they're gone, we package the mud and ship it off to be used. It's an ingenious process, really."

He tilted his head, the cold fury in his eyes at odds with the smile he was wearing on his stolen face. "And we've never had a problem until you showed up. It was so simple. We had you and the human female converted, and then you had to go ruin it all and escape! Marelli and I had to assume your adult forms to try and do damage control before you could ruin everything our forefathers worked so hard to perfect."

The smile slipped, leaving him with bared teeth and clenched fists. "You alone could have added centuries to our lifespan. We didn't have to take the rest of your companions! We would have let them leave peacefully. But you couldn't leave well enough alone, and threatened our entire livelihood! Now all your friends will be merged while you watch helplessly, and once they're gone I'll harvest their lives, then watch with pleasure as you're slowly absorbed into the mud. You will die knowing that all your friends are dead while you did nothing to help them."

Eleven snarled at him. "Lay a finger on any of them, and you'll find out precisely why I'm called the Oncoming Storm."

"Because you promise danger but may never actually deliver on your threats?" Maken mocked him. "I have your memories, Time Lord. You pretend to yourself that you're not a killer. You may get others to do your dirty work for you, but you don't like getting your hands dirty. You like to pretend you're above all that."

"Look up my memories of the Time War," Ten snapped. "More specifically the Warrior and how he was formed. Then look me in the eyes and tell me again what I'm not personally capable of."

There was a pause before Maken, sounding markedly less sure of himself, spoke again. "You call yourself a Doctor. A life-giver. Yet you claim you would kill, and easily, despite your vow?"

"I never said it would be easy," Eleven said solemnly, eyes heavy with a grief he seldom showed. "But I never took an oath to not kill."

Maken frowned, looking more and more uncertain. "But your oath - you call yourself a Doctor, you claim to dedicate your life to protecting others."

"I am on the side of life," Eleven confirmed. "But don't ever assume for one moment that that means I'm not capable of taking one to protect those I hold dear."

"I don't like to talk about it, but I was a soldier," Ten continued where Eleven left off. "And a good soldier protects his own. He defends when others attack, and he stops those who would take the lives of the innocent. Sometimes that means a permanent solution. I give everyone a chance to back out. Not everyone takes it. So here's my only warning, Maken. You can stop this. Set us and the others free. We'll let you and your people live out the rest of your lives in peace."

Maken scoffed. "And you'll just let us go about our business as usual with no more interference? Like I'm going to believe that."

"And you'd be right not to," Ten said coldly. "I have no intentions of letting you go on murdering innocent people - yes, it's murder, Maken, and you know it," he snapped when Maken opened his mouth to interrupt.

"Peaceful or not, you're abducting and experimenting on innocent people before you murder them for your own profit. That ends today. Whether or not it ends with you a free man is up to you. Yes, you'd be without a job, and you would have to get used to living a natural life rather than one filled with stolen years and memories, but your people survived that way for generations, I'm sure that you can do so again."

"Hmm..." Maken pretended to think it over, but Lyssa knew what he was going to say before he said it. "I think I'm gonna have to pass on that. You can make promises all you like. I've made it personal, and I don't think you're gonna let that go."

He tilted his head, evidently being contacted once more. He listened for a minute, responded in the affirmative, and then smirked. "You'll forgive me if I cut our session short, Doctors... But a slight issue has come up. Namely, your friend. The one with the nose? He's been causing a few issues. We might have to merge him first. And Amelia, of course. Can't forget her. She's still a little girl, though. Should be easy enough to take care of her. Just drop her in, let the Alprazolam do the rest..."

"Hurt Amy, and I won't be the only one you have to worry about," Eleven growled.

Maken shrugged. "You know what makes this all the more fun? I still look like you. I'll be sure to wake up little Amelia just before I drop her in. That way you'll get to see every bit of the betrayal she'll be feeling as her supposed best friend sends her to her doom. How does it feel, I wonder," he leered at Eleven, "to know that your friends will all be dead by your hands before the day is out?"

Lyssa, still watching silently from her perch behind the boxes, clenched her hands into fists. Maken didn't seem to be any better than the Master, taking pleasure in other's pain and willfully harming others even when it didn't benefit him in any way. Crouching down, she grabbed the pipe she'd left behind the last time she'd left her hiding spot. She wouldn't leave it behind this time.

"Send Maesita in," Maken ordered through his earpiece. "Yeah." He chuckled. "Give them the special. I want to make it fun." Waving cheerily at his two captives, he strolled out the doors, escorted by the two guards.

Just like last time, Lyssa waited for a minute to be sure no one would come running back in before darting out from the two boxes. The two Doctors, who had remained silent after Maken's departure, looked up at her arrival. They both looked startled at first as they took in her extremely disheveled appearance. However, rather than looking happy - or even worried - at her showing up, their expressions quickly faded to fury.

She slowed to a stop uncertainly. "Doctor? Is... something wrong?"

Ten's lip curled, and she shrunk back as he looked at her with contempt, an emotion she'd never seen him connect with her before. "Do you really think we're so stupid as to fall for that? I could have guessed that you were going to show up before Maken even left the room."

"What?" She looked between the two of them in growing confusion and slight hurt. "I don't understand."

Eleven snorted. "I bet you don't. You know, I can forgive a lot of things. But this? You've crossed a line."

"What?" She shook her head in bewilderment. "I don't - what are you talking about? What line have I crossed? I don't understand!"

"Atrellians mimic exactly," Eleven hissed. "Which means that you look like that because Lyssa does. Which means she's been hurt, and trapped, and scared, and you _dare_ to come in here wearing her face and use her against us. And that is something I will _never_ forgive."

Understanding dawned, and she felt an urge to both hug them and smack them for their stupidity. "You think - you think I'm -" She shook her head, feeling hysteria start to bubble up inside, threatening to spill over into laughter. Or tears. Quite possibly both.

"I can't even deal with this right now," she declared wearily, rubbing her temple. "You're both idiots."

"The only idiot around here is -"

The Tenth Doctor was cut off from his angry spiel when the door slammed open and someone came running in, stopping short when they saw the two Doctors.

"Doctor! Thank goodness you're here! I was only just able to escape, but they're hunting me!" they cried, jerking when they saw Lyssa standing there. "Wait - what?"

Lyssa stared at a cleaner version of herself, deep bruise blossoming on her jaw and fingerprint-shaped bruises growing on her arms. "Uhhh, I could say the same to you. What's going on?"

The girl who looked like her thought fast, Lyssa'd give her that. "But I'm not a child, how could they have cloned me? I thought I had to be a child for them to clone me." She frowned at Eleven, careful to stay out of reach of Lyssa and shrinking back against the wall in apparent fear. "And - how are you an adult again? I thought you were a child!"

Lyssa just gaped at her like a fish, not even sure how to respond to that.

"Oh, Lyssa..." Ten breathed out slowly.

Gathering herself, Lyssa turned to him, only to follow his horrified gaze to the deepening bruises on her clone's arms. Bruises that matched the ones on her own, hidden under the grime as they were.

"Yeah, the fake Doctor wasn't very nice," the fake said, following his gaze to her arm. "He grabbed me pretty hard. They aren't going to be pretty when they fully develop."

Eleven went white, looking like he was trying not to vomit as he stared at her arm, then her jaw. Then, still grimacing, he turned to his past self, who was slowly starting to look the same. "I think we've been right idiots."

Ten nodded slowly, veins popping in his jaw as he spoke through clenched teeth. "I think you're right."

The clone blinked at them. "I'm sorry?"

"It was a nice try, but Lyssa's too overprotective," Eleven informed her, still pale and now looking incredibly guilty.

"I don't - I don't understand," the clone admitted, and if she hadn't been - well, herself, Lyssa would've thought it a fairly accurate representation of the way she would have - and had - responded.

"Take a look at her," Ten said, gesturing to Lyssa as best as he could with his chains. "Most of her face's been noticeably scrubbed clean except for a large patch covering her matching bruise, and there's been no attempt to even touch the dirt on her arms. Most likely left there deliberately in an attempt to cover it up. You wanna know why?"

He leaned in towards the clone. "Because Lyssa accuses me - often rightly, I'll admit - of having a guilt complex, and would never deliberately do something to trigger that. Such as admitting that my double had hurt her. Matter of fact, she'd do everything she could to hide it."

Lyssa very deliberately avoided Eleven's gaze, gnawing on her lower lip and keeping a firm grip on the pipe in her hand. She had a steadily growing feeling that she would be needing it very soon.

Lyssa's clone glared at her, then dropped the act, pushing off from the wall and assuming a threatening aura that immediately had Lyssa stepping back. "Oh, all right. It was fun while it lasted, although Maken's still an idiot for not fully informing me of the situation."

She tilted her head at Lyssa and smirked coldly - which looked really weird to see on your imposter's face. "I hope you realize that this means you won't be leaving this room alive. You just made things a whole lot more messy than they needed to be."

Lyssa lifted her pipe with both hands and tried to hold in the air threateningly. "If you have my memories, you should know that I'm not going down without a fight."

"Actually, that was precisely why I was going to say I thought you _would_ go down without a fight," the clone sneered. "Running away from confrontation is what you do best. Feel free to start any time. I'll even give you a head start."

Lyssa shook her head slowly, ignoring the two Doctors trying to warn her. "If I leave, that leaves them in your hands. Forgive me if I don't trust them."

"I was hoping you'd say that," her clone chuckled. "This should be easy."

"Funny," Lyssa smirked, digging down deep for the ball of courage she knew was in there somewhere. She glanced over at the Doctors, both of whom looked very worried, and found her courage, knowing that she wasn't just fighting for herself.

"I was about to say the same thing."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, I give up. I have no idea when the confrontation with Fake!Eleven will take place. It could be next week, it could be a year from now. :/**

 **I also want to say thanks for your understanding when I have to put up shorter chapters. Last week's chapter was a lot shorter than I wanted it to be, and didn't have everything I wanted it to, but you guys were still so awesome and supportive, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.**

 **Mikari Satsuke and LilactheDryad get internet cookies (::) (::) for being the first to figure out some of what was actually going on behind the scenes!**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to sketchtheunicorn, TheProtectorOfHim, Mikari Satsuke, Guest (1), and Guest (2) for reviewing!**

 ** _Guest 1: Aww, thank you! I'm glad you like my story! I am 100% open to requests, but unfortunately, I don't have any way to watch any of the Classic Who series, so I won't be able to add them into this story, although I will say that the Eight Doctor will be having a large role in this story. I would add the rest of the Doctors if I could, but I've never seen Classic Who, and I don't want to end up butchering everybody's character because I only know what they're like from a transcript online. Sorry! D: Thanks for reviewing though, and I hope you liked the chapter! :)_**

 ** _Guest 2: Hahahaha, I love it whenever I get a review from you, they're always hilarious. I'm glad you've been liking my chapters! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked the new chapter! ;)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa and my never-ending story arcs**


	71. Chapter 71 - The Imposter's Imposter

Her clone scoffed and leapt forward, immediately going for the attack. Lyssa shrieked and fell backwards, her hands tightening reflexively on the pipe. The clone laughed, continuing to advance on her as she tried to back away.

Her eyes flew to the Doctors, but she shook off the thought immediately. She needed to keep the clone away from the Doctors, who were unable to defend themselves if the clone decided to attack them.

"So much for being ready to fight," the clone sneered, not bothering to rush at her again. "You're just as pathetic as I thought you were."

"Yeah, well, at least I don't rely on murdering other people and stealing their identity for a living," Lyssa shot back weakly, eyes darting around the room for anything that she could use to help her. But aside from the boxes in the corner, and the large bush in the center of the room with its roving tendrils, the room was empty.

"Lyssa, get out of here! We can escape on our own!" the Tenth Doctor shouted, straining furiously at his chains once more.

"Yeah, 'cause that's been working so well for you," the clone snarked, not taking her eyes off of Lyssa.

"Yeah, not really helping, guys," Lyssa muttered, dread pooling in her stomach as she scanned her opponent for any signs of weakness, any hint of an opening. On the bright side, since the clone had her face and body language, she could read her pretty well.

On the down side, she couldn't find any openings.

Yay her.

She yelped when the clone jumped at her again, and reflexively swung her pipe in defense, hitting her in the side and knocking her down with a groan. The force of the unexpected hit threw Lyssa off balance, and she stumbled to the side before catching herself.

Evidently quicker at recovering than humans, the clone leapt to her feet in an instant, fingers curled into claws. "Enough of this! You clearly don't know how to fight, and it wouldn't do you any good even if you did! My knowledge and experience is superior to yours in every way! Give up now, and I may go easy on you."

Lyssa held the pipe out in front of her like a barrier, gripping it with two hands in an attempt to keep it from visibly shaking. She swung it out threateningly as the clone circled her, a cruel sneer marring her face.

"I'm still the one with the weapon," she reminded the clone, trying to make her voice steady and warning.

The clone raised both her eyebrows mockingly, looking her up and down, then let out a low laugh. Turning around so her back was to Lyssa, she raised both hands in the air in apparent surrender.

"Go on, then. Hit me with it, if you think you have the courage to do so."

The pipe wavered in the air, sinking slightly.

"Wh-what?"

"Hit me with it," the clone repeated cheerily. "I mean, you do have what it takes to take out a threat to your friends, right? Because if you don't take me down, your friends will die, and I _will_ enjoy being the one to do it. Right now is your chance to stop me. So. Take it. Prove you have what it takes."

"Lyssa, don't do it, this is a trap," Ten yelled out in warning, yanking at his chains and cursing under his breath when they didn't give way. "She's trying to get you to let her guard down! If you get close enough she'll have you! Just get out of here while you still can!"

"'She' has a name, you know," the clone growled. "I am Maesita, and I swear on my life that this is no trap. If your friend can muster up the courage to take me out, you'll all go free. I have your keys in my pocket, and you can use those to escape. But if she's too weak to take down a simple threat that won't fight back, then I get all of you. I have an experiment I've been working on, and none of the past subjects have lived past the second stage. But if I have a Time Lord who can regenerate after life-threatening wounds..." she trailed off, her pleasure at the thought clear in her voice.

Lyssa just stared at the girl, pipe hanging limply in her hands. "You'd just... let me hit you?" she asked numbly, not quite sure she was believing what she was hearing.

"If you can actually muster up the strength to protect your friends from an agonizing future, then yes," Maesita drawled. "But I won't wait forever. I _will_ strike soon, and I won't be holding back this time," she promised darkly. "So strike now, or forever hold your peace."

Lyssa slowly raised the pipe, still half disbelieving. But Maesita didn't turn around, keeping her back to her and her hands in the air even though she obviously knew what was going on.

Lifting the pipe up to just above her shoulder, Lyssa changed her grip so it would be easy to swing.

Still Maesita didn't turn around.

Defenseless.

Ignoring the Doctors' shouted warnings and the nausea growing steadily stronger, Lyssa took a deep breath and steeled herself for what she was about to do. She scanned Maesita's back, looking for the best place to knock her out that wouldn't cause permanent damage. Maybe just a quick, hard strike between the shoulder and the neck? Anywhere else and she'd probably do serious damage.

Actually, she'd probably do serious damage no matter where she hit.

Swallowing down the bile that threatened to rise at the thought, she drew back the pipe and swung at the girl.

Stopping just shy of Maesita's neck, trembling violently and jerking with the force required to catch herself, she pulled the pipe back and stumbled away, dropping the pipe on the ground and flinching at the clatter.

"I'm sorry; I can't do it," she choked out, fighting back tears. "I can't hit her, not while she's defenseless and can't fight back. I can't. I can't."

"Hmm. So you really are as weak as I thought you were. Pity."

Blinded by unshed tears that kept coming no matter how often she wiped them away and turned away from the clone, she only reacted when she heard Eleven shouting her name in warning.

Whipping around, she was only just able to dodge a punch to the face and weakly throw up her arms to block the follow up, stumbling back under the bruising force of the blow. But by throwing her arms up, she'd left her chest exposed, and she completely missed the punch that landed in her solar plexus, sending her crashing to the ground as her diaphragm seized up and all the air was forcefully expelled from her lungs.

She curled in on herself, trying desperately to draw air back into her empty lungs and failing as pain radiated across her abdomen. She felt someone leaning over her, and cracked her eyes open to see the clone leaning over her, a smirk on her face.

"I told you this would happen," Maesita reminded her. "But you were too weak to even try and save your friends, and now they're going to die, and it's going to be all your fault because you didn't stop it when you could have. I hope you remember that when they merge you. You could have stopped this, and you didn't."

Unable to refute her - both because she was right and because she still couldn't draw air to breathe, let alone speak, Lyssa closed her eyes again and let her head sink to the ground, her heart hurting worse than her chest. Maesita was right. If she'd just been able to knock her out, Rory and Amy and Donna wouldn't be at risk. The Doctors wouldn't be at risk.

Maesita hadn't reacted when she'd swung the pipe at her. She would have been able to knock her out and free the Doctors, and even have them check up on Maesita to make sure she wasn't badly hurt before they rescued the others.

Instead, she'd just lost them their chance to escape.

Leaving Lyssa on the ground, Maesita strolled over to the Doctors, both of whom were strangely still, having apparently given up on trying to get out of the chains on their own. They both gave her a black look, but she just laughed.

"Now, let's see... Maken promised me I could have a bit of fun before you were merged, so I just need to find out a few things first. From what I understand of Lyssa's memories, Time Lords change physically every time they regenerate. So... which one of you has the higher pain tolerance?"

"You're not going to get away with this," Eleven told her darkly.

Maesita rolled her eyes. "Insert the usual line about how I already have here," she muttered, looking them over before frowning thoughtfully. "I think I might have to change a few things before we get started, though. I have enough of Lyssa's memories and knowledge that I don't think our normal restraints are going to be enough." She winked at them, heading towards the boxes in the corner. "Don't go away!"

As the weight on her chest disappeared, Lyssa slowly managed to uncurl herself and suck in desperately needed air, gasping for air as her body instinctively tried to make up for lost time. She didn't bother getting up though, knowing that she wouldn't make it very far before Maesita was on her once more.

She looked around for the pipe, spotting it a few yards away, near the edge of the cement and hanging over the dirt. She would need that before she tried anything again, and she promised herself that this time she wouldn't hold back. Maesita had proven that she could hold her own even when she looked defenseless, and had proven herself a major threat.

She just hoped she would be strong enough to actually follow through with it this time.

Lyssa looked up when she heard a grunt, and frowned when she saw Maesita stumble backwards from the boxes before collapsing to the ground, out cold.

She was even more surprised when she saw Rory, looking only slightly guilty, step out from between the boxes, kneeling down to check on the unconscious woman.

"Rory?" the Eleventh Doctor asked disbelievingly.

"What are you doing here?" Ten asked him in the same tone.

Rory just looked at him as though it were obvious.

Which, you know, it really kinda was.

"Oh, I don't know, actually," he exclaimed, blinking stupidly at them. "I was just wandering through, you know, saw you chained to the wall, and thought it might be fun to pop in and say hi. Oh, and apparently knock out Lyssa's clone. But that's done now, so... bye."

He gave them a sarcastic little wave and turned to leave, stopping when he saw Lyssa, still on the ground and trying to gather herself. "Lyssa!" he exclaimed, dropping the act and running towards her, dropping to the ground beside her and looking her over worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she muttered in embarrassment, pushing herself up with his help. "Just got the wind knocked out of me." Rory looked back at the unconscious Maesita in silent realization, and Lyssa felt her cheeks heat.

"Yeah, not my best moment," she admitted unhappily, not looking him in the eye and very deliberately focusing on grabbing the pipe. It was still hanging half off the cement over the dirt, and when she misjudged the distance, fingertips pushing against the cool metal instead of grasping it, she sent it tumbling off the edge onto the dirt.

Rolling her eyes in minor frustration, she reached out to grab it, her fingers brushing against the dirt as she curled her hand securely around the pipe and started to pull it away.

And quick as a flash one of the roving tendrils from the plant darted towards where her fingers had disturbed the dirt. She fell back with a startled shriek, clutching the hand with the pipe to her chest.

"Lyssa, are you all right?" Rory demanded, crouching beside her.

She stared at the still searching vine with wide eyes. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Rory frowned, following her gaze. "The vines? Yeah, it is a little weird to see them moving like that."

She shook her head. "No. Like it had sensed me moving. Here, I'll show you." Scooting a few yards away to an undisturbed area, she gingerly reached out the pipe and tapped the dirt.

Nothing happened. She did it again with the same results.

She bit back a sigh of frustration. It had "worked" - as if she had actually been _trying_ to do it - last time, why was it different now? She thought back over the memory, pausing when she realized that it had only been when her fingers touched the dirt that the vines reacted.

So, making sure that Rory was watching and keeping the rest of her body well away from the dirt, she reached out once more and reluctantly stirred the dirt with her fingers. And just like before, she whipped her hand back just as a writhing vine whipped over the place her fingers had been seconds before.

Rory stared at the vine, eyes wide. "That thing - it reacted to you! Not the pipe, but you! It somehow knew that you were biological and reacted to that!" He wrinkled his nose. "That's quite creepy, really."

"Tell me about it," Lyssa complained, pushing herself to her feet once more and making sure to stay well away from the edge. "I feel like I'm in a horror remake of the Jumanji movie. Cannibalistic plant included."

"Don't forget the time traveling guy who doesn't have a clue on social norms," Rory reminded her, standing up and following her over to the Doctors, who had been waiting impatiently this whole time. "I don't suppose you could fill me in on what's actually going on?" He surveyed the two Doctors with a frown. "Or maybe even give me an idea on how to get you two out of there?"

"Maesita mentioned having a key in her pockets," Lyssa mentioned, avoiding both of the Doctors' gazes and focusing on the woman on the floor. "I can check really quick, see if they work."

"It'd probably be better for you to do it than me," Rory admitted, going up to Eleven and tugging on his chains, testing their strength for himself. "I don't suppose your superior Time Lord strength can help us out here?"

Eleven just gave him a weary look. "If it could, don't you think we'd both be out of here by now?"

"I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised. You _are_ 'superior', after all."

Lyssa ignored the quibbling trio and crouched over her clone - and that was a _really_ weird thing to see, to be looking at yourself on the floor - and started feeling through her pockets, setting her pipe to the side to free up both her hands as she searched.

A thought came to her, and she stopped, frowning down at her identical evil twin. "Rory? How did you know that this was the clone? You can't have been waiting in the boxes long enough to hear everything, or I would have seen you. And you didn't see me until after you knocked her out, so you couldn't have seen the two of us together either."

"What?" Rory asked, looking over at her. "Oh. It was easy, really. Once I finished taking care of the fake Amy - I just left her tied up in the closet, she should be fine - I came in here, just in time to see her getting ready to leave," he nodded towards the clone. "And she was clean. There was no way you'd had the chance to get completely clean in the time since you'd left."

Lyssa blinked. "I feel like I should be offended that you could recognize someone pretending to be me by the fact that they were clean. What are you trying to imply, Rory?"

Rory rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. The Doctors' expressions might have had something to do with it as well. Are you having any luck with the keys?"

"I see you changing the subject," Lyssa teased him before sobering. "But not so far. I don't think they're in her pockets. And it's not like I had that many to start with."

"It's almost like she lied to you or something," Rory gasped, pretending to look shocked.

She pointed an offended finger at him. "Excuse you, I am the epitome of honor and trustworthiness."

"I mean, maybe, but I wasn't talking about you; I was talking about the girl pretending to be you," Rory muttered, pulling out his pocketknife and trying to pick the locks on Eleven's chains with them.

"What do you mean, ' _maybe_ '?" Lyssa protested indignantly, preparing to stand up. A last minute thought occurred to her, and she crawled over by her double's feet, trying to pull off her shoes without success. "Why aren't these coming off?" she grunted, tugging fruitlessly at them. "Is everything in this stupid placed designed to show how weak I am?"

"Maybe means possibly, as in, not certain; and why are you trying to take off her shoes?" Rory finished slowly, staring at her oddly.

"Because I know these sneakers, and they are very easy to take on and off, and they are not - coming - off!" she huffed, giving up in frustration. She then tried to untie the shoelaces, to make them looser, but was unable to even loosen the knot. "What have these guys done to my stuff?" she demanded, trying to peel back the tongue of the shoe and failing at that as well. "It's like she glued the shoe to her foot!"

"Unless... unless the shoe _is_ her foot," Ten said slowly, staring at the clone with narrowed eyes.

Lyssa and Rory both turned to him with equally confused expressions. "What?"

Ten furrowed his brow in concentration before looking at his future self who was starting to nod in understanding.

"We know the clones can mimic what we look like biologically, practically down to the cellular level. It wasn't until I set a specialized scan that even the TARDIS picked up on something being different," Eleven explained. "And there's no way that they would have been able to fabricate clothes that matched ours so quickly, down to even most of the pocket contents, when they didn't even grab us until just a few hours ago."

"So... what are you saying then?" Rory frowned, going back to work on the lock. "That they can... what, replicate us exactly, down to what we were wearing?"

"Something like that," Ten confirmed. "They wouldn't be the first species to have that ability. Zygons come to mind, although I don't believe they can imitate objects found in pockets. But what you said about knowing the fake from Lyssa by her cleanliness... Lyssa, how did you get so dirty, and when? It's important, I promise," he added when he saw the look on her face.

Lyssa sighed, trying to think of the best way to phrase things without alluding to her bruises too much. It was going to be an uncomfortable conversation as it was. "I woke up in a lab, looking pretty much like her," she gestured to the clone, grimacing when she saw Eleven's eyes lingering on the bruise on her jaw. She averted her own gaze before he could meet it.

At least she had a reason to feel guilty. If Rory hadn't come back, who knows what Maesita would have done to them?

"It was weird, though," she admitted, thinking back. "When I found Rory, he was strapped to a table. I think I'd been dump-" She hesitated, suddenly realized what she'd been about to say. _Dumped in a corner_ wouldn't exactly calm the Doctors down. "I mean - I think I'd been left in a lab, like I said earlier," she stumbled over her words.

"There were a lot of vials of blood from a bunch of different species. Some of them apparently worked to merge, and others didn't. The really creepy part though was when I found _our_ blood there." She pulled one of the vials out of her pocket and waved it in the air, regretting the motion when the blood splattered against the glass, quickly dropping it back in her pocket.

"They didn't have Rory or Donna or Ten's there, but they had Amy, Eleven's and mine. I took ours, and dumped out the rest, but they must have had another vial or something for Maesita to use to mimic me."

"Well, that explains the dirt then," Ten commented. "If Lyssa was clean when they drew the blood from her, and then got dirty after, the clone would only be able to mimic how Lyssa appeared when they drew the blood."

"So what if they both had been dirty, then?" Rory asked, tilting the lock to try and get a better look at it in the light.

"Well, assuming the clone didn't immediately give herself away like she did this time," Eleven muttered, "I would probably just ask them both to clean their faces."

Lyssa scoffed, picking the pipe back up and padding over to them, arms crossed. "Rude."

"I'm serious!" he protested. "The impression the clone would have had of you would have included the dirt. It would literally be written into her biology, and she would be unable to remove it anymore than you can scrub a freckle off your face."

"Well, that's a serious design flaw," Rory muttered. "Wouldn't people start to suspect something is off if you never changed your clothes or washed the dirt off your face?"

"Well, no system is perfect, but we typically don't stick around in our altered forms long enough for people to start asking questions. Or they don't live long enough to draw an accurate conclusion. Sometimes both."

Lyssa blinked in astonishment, turning to stare at the Eleventh Doctor, wondering why on earth he'd say such a thing, only to find him staring at the double doors with a look of dread.

Right. He wouldn't say such a thing.

Lyssa reluctantly turned to face the doors, her worst fears confirmed when she saw Maken standing there with two guards behind him, a smirk on his face. "Well, hello, Mr. Williams. You've given us quite the chase. Don't you know that it's rude to leave without informing your host?"

Rory shrugged, but didn't move otherwise, his hands frozen on the lock. "I mean, I've also heard that it's rude to force people to stay when they don't want to, but what do I know about manners? It's not like I'm English, or anything."

"You say that like you expect it to mean something to me," Maken pointed out dryly, almost amused. He looked around the room, then spotted Lyssa, both of them freezing and Lyssa's heart dropping into her stomach. And then -

"Maesita?"

At first, Lyssa's panic increased and she started to turn back to the unconscious girl before realizing that Maken had been looking at her when he spoke, his brow furrowed in confusion.

He thought she was Maesita.

Her mind racing in a million directions at once, she forced it to focus and come up with a quick plan. Sighing loudly, she slumped her shoulders and forced an annoyed expression on her face. "Really, Maken?" she complained. "Do you know how long it took me to get them to believe that I was Lyssa?"

"Wait - what?" Rory stammered, hardly even resisting as one of the guards came up to him, hands above his head in surrender.

"You're still not finished with them?" Maken asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I told you it took forever!" Lyssa retorted, desperately hoping that none of her fear showed in her eyes. "Your stupid guards let the girl escape, and she got in here first."

She waved an angry hand at the real Maesita, and Maken raised his other eyebrow before sending the other guard down to check on her. "If it wasn't for the fact that I met Rory Williams first and convinced him that I was real, it wouldn't have worked."

"And how do you figure that?" Maken asked with an amused expression, crossing his arms.

She rolled her eyes, forcibly expelling her breath in frustration. "Because they would have believed her and not me if Rory hadn't shown up and thought she was the clone and knocked her out. You should be grateful I thought to make myself look worse."

"And why is that?"

She stared at him in exasperation. "Because I escaped from a horrible situation and only just got free, but I obviously wouldn't have escaped unscathed. Hence the grime." She smiled crookedly.

"And it covered up the marks, which was something she would have done if she'd had the chance. Thanks for that, by the way," she added sarcastically. "Did you have to damage her before we could draw the blood? I didn't appreciate finding myself marked."

Maken shrugged. "Sorry. I was having fun, and I wasn't used to this body's strength. Did you at least get to have fun with them before I accidentally ruined it all?" he asked mockingly.

Lyssa fought back a shiver at his casual mention of hitting her so hard he knocked her out. "I was getting there," she muttered petulantly. "I'd managed to convince them that the clone would have keys to get them out, and got their hopes up. I had hoped to draw out the reveal of the bruises due to the reaction I knew they would get" - she was actually telling the truth here - "but you letting her get in here meant a premature reveal."

Wow, she was telling the actual truth so much today she should get a medal.

Maken unexpectedly burst out laughing. And though it was similar in sound to the Eleventh Doctor's, instead of sending butterflies swirling through her stomach, it sent chills down her spine. Where the Doctor's was warm and gentle, his was cold and cruel.

"I'd forgotten how sadistic you could be, Maesita," he chuckled, reaching out a hand. And though it was slow and open, rather than a wickedly fast fist, she couldn't help the gasp that slipped out as she flinched, everything screaming at her to get away.

All senses heightened as fresh adrenaline coursed through her, she didn't miss the way Eleven reacted to her gut response. He went pale again, looking as though he was about to be sick as he fell back against the wall. Ten looked furious, glaring at Maken with fire in his eyes.

Maken just raised an eyebrow at her, looking at her strangely. "What was _that_ about?" he asked.

Still trying to calm her racing heart, Lyssa took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and collect her thoughts, trying to come up with something to say. _It looked like you were going to hit me again and I freaked out? You brought back memories and not in a good way?_

Well, they did say that lies that had a little bit of truth sprinkled in were the most believable.

"I have almost all of Lyssa's memories, and you knocking her out was at the forefront of her mind when we drew the blood because it was the last thing she remembered. You moving like that triggered a gut response to the fear the memory held. What did you expect would happen?" she asked snarkily, resisting the urge to groan when her voice noticeably shook.

Maken held up his hands in surrender, then paused, a slow smile creeping onto his face. "Well, I can't change the past, but I think I have something that'll put you in a better mood."

For some strange, unknown reason, Lyssa didn't trust him. "And what's that?" she asked warily.

He pretended to look hurt. "It's almost like you don't trust me, Maesita."

Turning to the guard who had been standing by the actual Maesita, he jerked his head at the door. The guard nodded and quickly exited, returning a moment later with the sleeping Amelia in his arms.

Maken took her from the guard, ignoring the outraged yells coming from the two Doctors and Rory, who was now struggling so much the second guard had to go and help hold him down. An expectant grin on his face, Maken turned and almost tossed Amelia at Lyssa, not being careful with the little girl at all.

Lyssa barely caught the toddler with a startled yelp, scrambling to hold her securely, the pipe she'd still been holding onto slipping under her arms and only barely being held from dropping by a last minute awkward grab. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed, shifting so that she could hold the pipe better while trying to hide it behind Amelia.

Maken stared at her like it should have been obvious. "This is your favorite part of the whole process. That memory must have rattled you more than I thought." He shrugged. "Which is why I'm letting you do it all on your own as apology."

"Do all of what on my own?" Lyssa asked warily, knowing she was treading on thin ice right now. Maesita had her memories and Lyssa's. Lyssa only had her own.

Maken rolled his eyes. "Stop playing coy, Maesita. I already apologized. Just wake her up already."

"Humor me," Lyssa challenged him, glancing over at the three men trapped against the wall, all watching the situation tensely.

Maken followed her gaze, but read it wrong and snorted. "Oh, right. I forgot you like for the families to know what's going on." He grinned wickedly at Rory. "This'll be fun for you. Maesita will get to wake up Amelia while we're still wearing the forms of her supposed friends. She'll see just enough to know that her friends have turned their back on her completely."

"And then?" Lyssa asked, dreading the answer but knowing she needed to ask.

Maken turned back to her, a sadistic gleam in his eye. "And then, my dear, you get to throw our little friend into the dirt and watch as she slowly gets absorbed into the ground."

* * *

 **A/N: How many imposters could an imposter impersonate if an imposter could impersonate the imposter impersonating him?**

 **I know a lot of you were expecting/hoping Lyssa would knockout-punch her clone into oblivion, and I very nearly did that (I kind of wanted to see it too, lol), but what ended up actually happening will be very important in terms of character growth, _especially_ in the next chapter. More to the point, it wasn't in character for Lyssa to suddenly be able to take out someone who wasn't presenting an obvious and immediate threat, while also appearing defenseless, if that makes sense. **

**Maken/Fake!Eleven getting his just desserts was supposed to happen this chapter, but by the time I reached the point where I could lead into it, this chapter was at almost 5,000 words, and would have gotten really long if I'd written it all out. So, unfortunately, we just get more of him acting like a creep.**

 **On a side note, when I am unable to update for a day or two, would you like me to post a note letting you know when I think I'll be able to update, or would you rather I just updated whenever I was able? I am perfectly willing to do either, so I'm asking on both here and what you guys would prefer I do. Please lmk and thank you in advance! :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Mikari Satsuke, sketchtheunicorn, LilactheDryad, TheProtectorOfHim, Angelusica, afionna262, Guest (1), Guest (2), ThatBlueStrawberry, yellowroseofthenw, and Guest (3) for reviewing!**

 ** _Guest 1: I actually have a lot of plans for Day of the Doctor, and I will be including it in this story, but I'm not sure when (I have a rough idea of where, just not sure how long it would take me to reach that point). But I agree - I think her interactions with a fellow nerd would be enjoyable lol. Thanks for the heads-up about Amazon Prime, I'll try and take a look sometime if I get the chance! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed it! :)_**

 ** _Guest 2: Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you liked it! :)_**

 ** _Guest 3: I totally get where you're coming from. I like to do it just because I typically update every Sunday, and so when I missed, people got a little concerned - and rightfully so, as I ended up having a major allergic reaction that kept me from updating. :P However, I also completely get your point, and would be more than willing to do so. I put it in the Author's Note above, so that the reader's can choose what they'd prefer, and I'll probably end up going with majority vote, but I promise that your opinion will be counted. Thank you for pointing that out to me so respectfully, it didn't even occur to me that that could be an issue until you brought it to my attention, and I really appreciate you stating it so respectfully. hopefully everyone will be happy with the end result! :)_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: Doctor Who is totally mine. All mine. I am definitely a mature, responsible adult who legally owns the show. (Technically, I do, and I have picture evidence to prove it). I am, however, not making any money off it. :/**


	72. Chapter 72 - Wherein Irony Happens

Lyssa took a deep breath, absorbing all the implications of that statement. How do you respond to that? More to the point, how would she protect Amelia from a man with all the strength of a Time Lord and none of the morals?

The most important thing was getting Amelia out of reach of Maken. The Eleventh Doctor's chains extended far enough from the wall that he could hold her safely, while Rory was being restrained by his guards a few yards away. If she could get Amelia to the Doctor and then take out at least one of the guards with the element of surprise and her pipe, Rory could probably handle the other one.

Which left Maken.

Well, she'd just have to figure something out on the fly. She'd been standing there mutely for at least a minute now, and he was starting to look at her oddly. The last thing she needed was him getting suspicious and trying something while Amelia was still at risk.

Forcing a smirk onto her face, she inclined her head to Maken. "Let's at least let them say goodbye to her, first," she suggested with a false cheer. "We don't want anyone saying we're completely heartless, you know."

Maken narrowed his eyes at her, and for a terrifying second she thought the gig was up. Then he relaxed and chuckled proudly. "Of course not. Let them say goodbye. It's always such a hard thing to watch families say goodbye for the last time." He pretended to wipe a tear, inclining his head towards Rory as he spoke. Rory looked furious, renewing his struggles to get free from his guards.

Lyssa bit back the urge to shout something that would give her away too soon, keeping her face calm as she carried Amelia over to the Doctors and Rory. The guard closest to Eleven didn't have his back to her, so she probably wouldn't be able to knock him out, but she could at least catch him off guard and hopefully give Rory enough time to act.

Rory stilled as she brought Amelia past him, and she made brief eye contact, nodding her head at him ever so slightly before darting her eyes down towards Amelia, then Eleven, then back to him. Understanding glimmered in his eyes, and he inclined his head the tiniest bit in acknowledgement.

"Say goodbye while you still can, Mr. Williams," she said aloud. "I understand that the smaller they are, the quicker they go. And our little redhead here is quite small," she reminded him with mock pity.

Rory glared at her. "You won't get away with this," he snarled, voice dripping with hatred.

She raised her chin and looked up at him coldly. "I have no plans of getting away, Mr. Williams. I plan on staying right here. But if that's all you have to say, then I suppose you don't want to say goodbye. Pity." She waved at him with her fingers, smiling sarcastically. "Bye, now."

She turned from him to the Doctors, her heart rate increasing with every step she took. Adjusting her grip on the pipe so that it was clamped between her arm and her side, she tried to figure out how to telegraph her plan to them before deciding that they would figure it out soon enough.

Shifting Amelia so that she could easily hand her off to the Doctor, she found Eleven's gaze before glancing pointedly down at Amelia, then back up at him. His eyes widened, and he started to shake his head, but she acted before he could, tossing Amelia gently at him and barely waiting to see him catch her before pivoting on her right foot and catching the pipe before it could hit the ground.

Forcing all thought of everything else out of her mind, she wrapped her hands firmly around the pipe and swung without hesitation at the guard closest to her. Already half-focused on her after seeing her toss Amelia to the Doctor, he was able to bring up his arm and block the hit from landing with full force, but the hit was still strong enough to make him stagger to the side and make her blanch at the sound of the solid smack.

Rory took advantage of the distraction to pull his arm free from the guard's grip entirely, and turned and punched the other guard in the jaw with enough force to send him down for the count.

"I'll take care of the other guard," he shouted, already engaged with him. "Watch out for Maken! I'll help you when I'm done!"

Right. Maken.

Lyssa spun around and found Maken advancing on her slowly, a curious gleam in his eye. "You're good, I'll give you that," he admitted. "But something tells me you're just not good enough."

She danced away from the two Doctors to the other side of the room, looking for room to move. "Good enough for what?" she challenged him when he started to turn towards Eleven and Amy. He turned back to her, and she gulped, memories of him stalking her through the glades on the surface before catching her jumping to the forefront of her thoughts. Her jaw ached at the memory.

Evidently sufficiently distracted, Maken followed her. "Isn't it obvious?" he sneered.

Lyssa's back hit the wall, and she jumped. Scampered down the side to get away. She tried to hold the pipe up threateningly, but memories of the last time facing him weakened her grip. Fear warred with the need to protect her friends as the man wearing her best friend's face glared down at her.

"You don't know how to fight, you don't know how to defend yourself, you can't even defend your friends," he goaded her. "You're pathetic!"

She glared at him, affronted by his gall. "At least I'm uniquely pathetic!" she retorted. "Everything I do is unique to me. Everything you are is stolen because you can't do anything on your own!"

She must have hit a sore spot, because he snarled and charged at her. She yelped and took off down the cement walkway, adrenaline flooding her veins. Reaching the end of the side, she rounded the corner and took off onto the next walkway. Looking back to see where he was at, her heart skipped a beat when she saw him round the corner after her.

And then she saw something interesting.

His foot landed in the dirt, and he panicked, leaping out of it to the far side of the wall before the grasping vines could latch on to him.

Which meant that the Atrellians could be taken by the vines as well.

Taking advantage of his distraction to dart to the other side of the room, she stopped to catch her breath and glanced around for ideas. Most of it was taken up by the dirt, which neither of them could touch, surrounded by a cement walkway going around the edges of the room. And down by the Doctors and Rory, there was a single pathway leading up to the bush in the center of the room.

Rory and the one guard were still engaged in a desperate struggle to restrain the other. Maesita was still unconscious in the corner by the boxes, Eleven was holding Amelia protectively and watching the scene in worry, and Ten was once again trying to get out of his chains while also standing guard in front of Eleven and Amelia.

Annnnnd Maken was coming after her again.

Time to run. Again.

She took off down the long side again, trying to come up with a plan. She couldn't play 'keep away' with Maken and the Doctors forever, especially with his superior strength and speed. Which meant that this had to end, and soon.

And then she saw it.

She'd been too busy to notice it before, but at the upcoming corner, the edge of the cement had worn away; whether from time, or wear, or maybe even the vines. There were cracks in the cement, and one chunk in particular looked especially unstable.

Meaning that enough weight would probably tip it over.

A glance behind her proved that Maken was still dogging her footsteps and growing ever closer. More to the point, he was stepping where she was. And he weighed more than her.

Setting her face forward, anticipation gave her greater speed. Praying that it would work as she reached the final corner, she slowly angled herself towards the edge, placed her foot on the unstable piece, and leapt, feeling the stone shift and start to give under her weight.

Landing on the other side of the walkway, she ran a few yards further to give herself a margin in case it didn't work, then spun around to watch.

Still bent on catching her, Maken picked up speed as he came closer, following the same path she had taken. Except when his foot landed on the loose stone, it gave way completely under his weight, splitting in half and tilting towards the dirt. Thrown off balance by the loss of footing, Maken stumbled forwards. His weight and gravity did the rest.

His upper half and most of his legs landed on the concrete.

His feet and ankles landed in the dirt.

His eyes widened in terror and he tried to scramble onto the concrete completely, but it was too late. Lyssa watched in horrified surprise as three different vines latched onto his ankles and started winding slowly back towards the bush, pulling him with them despite his best efforts to hang onto the cement, digging in his nails only to have them break as he was pulled back farther, his cries of denial echoing in the large room.

His eyes met hers, and the sheer terror in them was enough to stir Lyssa to action. Dropping her pipe with a clang, she sprung forward and latched onto his hands, trying to tug him backwards.

Too startled to resist, he involuntarily grasped her back, hands squeezing hers with enough strength to bruise as he tried to pull himself free of the vines. "What are you doing?" he gasped.

"What's it look like?" Lyssa grunted, steeling herself and trying to haul him back and away from the dirt. "I'm saving your sorry butt from these killer vines."

"But I tried to kill you!"

"Yes, I did notice that. Would you mind helping more and talking less?" she grit out, straining to pull him further onto the cement.

His calves were slowly slipping into the dirt, and she could see more vines creeping towards them.

"But I'll kill you if I get out of here!"

"Yep. Haven't forgotten that either. And you're still not helping," she complained breathlessly, heaving backwards, her feet slipping on the cement as she tried fruitlessly to pull him further up.

"Why would you help me if you know I'm going to kill you?" he demanded instead.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe because I'm not a murderer?" she suggested in annoyance.

He just stared at her. "You're weaker than I thought you were," he said in contempt. "Your misguided compassion will mean the death of your friends and yourself."

"And you're stupider than I thought you were if you're trying to insult your only hope of survival," she shot back in irritation. "It requires more strength to show mercy, not less. My compassion doesn't make me weak. It makes me stronger than you could ever hope to be."

Refusing to give in, if just to show him up, she dug her heels in harder and tugged him backwards, letting out a breathless laugh of triumph when she managed to get him almost completely onto the cement, only his feet and ankles left in the dirt. The vines were still latched onto his ankles, and she wasn't entirely sure how to get them off without being trapped herself.

The sound of her name being shouted finally broke into her haze, and she looked over her shoulder to see Ten yelling at her, waving his clenched fist in the air. She looked closer and realized that he was holding Rory's pocketknife. When he realized that he'd caught her attention, he dropped it to the ground and kicked it over to her, the knife spinning around and stopping just out of reach.

She glanced at it, narrowed her eyes, and then let go of Maken. Despite all his threats, he still struggled to hold on, and she finally had to wrench herself free, grimacing at his desperate pleas that had reappeared once he was on his own.

Grabbing the knife, she flicked open the blade, almost cutting herself in her haste. Avoiding Makens' still grasping hands as he started to slip into the dirt once more, she crouched by his feet. Tentatively grabbing one of the vines and strengthening her grip when it didn't grab her back - which she'd honestly been a little afraid of - she started to saw at it with the knife.

The vine was thick, but Rory's blade was sharp, and cut easily through the vine in a matter of seconds, the cut half dropping to the ground and wriggling around like it was still searching for something to latch onto. Making sure not to touch the dirt, she quickly moved onto the next vine, disposing of it in the same manner, and then moving onto the last vine.

No sooner had the last one fallen to the ground than she leapt backwards from Maken and the dirt as he scrambled to safety. Grabbing her pipe, she held it at the ready by her side as Maken panted on the cement, desperate gasps slowly changing to exaggerated breaths. She was pretty sure she could guess what was going to happen next, and this time, she was determined to stand firm.

At last, looking up at her from his crouched position, he stilled and narrowed his eyes at her. "That was foolish."

She didn't even need Ten's shouted warning as Maken leapt at her. Stepping neatly to the side, she shifted the pipe in her grip and swung, connecting smoothly with his left shoulder. He let out a stifled cry before collapsing to the ground, out cold.

Lyssa nudged him with her pipe to make sure he was really out before carefully leaning over him to make sure he was still breathing. When she determined that he was, she hung her pipe across her shoulders and smirked down at him in satisfaction.

"Evil aliens using other people's bodies for their own nefarious purposes: One. Lyssa and her pipe: Three. "

"What did you do to him, Lyssa?" Rory asked incredulously, his own breathing labored.

She looked over at him, raising an eyebrow when she saw him sitting on top of the guard, tying his hands together behind his back with his belt. "Maken knew almost everything the Doctor knew. But he didn't know how much I knew," she said proudly.

Rory furrowed his brow, testing the restraints before getting off the guard and heading towards her. "So you used something you knew about Time Lords against him? Something that he didn't know you knew?"

She shrugged as he knelt down to check on Maken. "Or something like that. He might not have known at all. Did you know, Rory," she asked him casually, "that Time Lords have a very sensitive nerve cluster on their left shoulder? Or that you can disable them by hitting it?"

Rory let out an incredulous laugh, shaking his head. "I did not know that. Probably should have guessed, though. You did a good job of it, he's out cold."

She grinned sheepishly. "I figured that if he'd gotten the benefits of a Time Lord body, he probably also got the drawbacks. And I may or may not have been slightly motivated by a little bit of spite. Oh!" She grabbed the still-open pocketknife off the ground and handed it to Rory. "I still don't know how to close it, sorry."

He chuckled, closing it just as easily as he had the first time before opening the lock picking set and going back to work on Eleven's chains. "Now that that's taken care of, I should be able to get this done easy."

Eleven eyed him, Amelia slumbering peacefully on his chest. "Do I want to know why you know how to pick locks?"

Rory shrugged, not meeting his gaze. "Kept forgetting the key. Got tired of being locked out all the time. Learned how to let myself in." One of the chains snapped open, and he grinned in triumph as the Doctor twisted his now-free wrist about in the air. "All right. You wanna switch Amy over to your other arm so I can get started on this one?"

Eleven obligingly switched hands, but didn't seem to be paying attention otherwise, silently stewing. But when Rory freed his other hand, he hastily deposited Amelia into his arms and hurried over to Lyssa, crushing her to him in a tight hug.

Caught by surprise, she flailed about for a second before her brain caught up with her body and she relaxed into the hug, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around him. Even though he'd only been turned into a child for a few hours, and was now back to normal, it felt like months had passed since she'd last been able to relax with him.

"Is it stupid to say I thought I might never see you again?" she muttered into his shirt, relishing in the sense of safety his scent provided.

He held her tighter. "Not if I felt the same way. Seeing you fight... me," he struggled to get the word out, "and knowing that I couldn't do anything to help was... awful. I've been in that position far too many times, although even once is too many. And knowing that he has no morals, no issue with taking innocent life..." His arms spasmed around her, and she rubbed his back comfortingly.

He huffed a laugh. "You did great, though. Using his weight on the broken concrete against him, and then a _Time Lord_ weakness? That's brilliant, is what it is, Lyssa."

"Although given the amount of force she used to take him out, remind me not to annoy you anymore, Lyssa," Ten interrupted, strolling up to them and rubbing his reddened wrists. "You get scary strong when you're mad, fairy-girl." He grinned at her cheekily.

She rolled her eyes fondly, letting go of Eleven and bouncing over to him. He swept her up into a tight hug, and she returned it happily. "Hello, other Doctor!" she laughed giddily. "Although what do you mean, 'anymore'?" She eyed him suspiciously, leaning back in his embrace. "Do you make a habit of trying to annoy me?"

He set her down with a look of wide eyed innocence that she didn't believe in the slightest. "No, not at all. I'm offended that you would even ask such a thing!"

She laughed again, the sound dwindling into an embarrassed chuckle when she saw the grime on his shirt from her face and clothes. She rubbed at it sheepishly, only serving to smear it even more. "Oops. Sorry about your shirt, Doctor."

He looked down at his now-dirty shirt in surprise. "Oh. Yeah, I think I get where Rory was coming from now. You really do need a bath, fairy-girl." He swiped his thumb along her cheek and pulled it away to show it to her, now gray with grime.

"Wow. _Rude_. And right after I just saved you guys from your evil clone, too. Talk about gratitude," she grumbled, crossing her arms and looking away sulkily.

"Oh, I'll do more than talk, fairy-girl," the Doctor promised her, slinging an arm loosely around her shoulders. "But I think we need to get out of here first." He looked around the room. "And we need to find Donna. She might still be locked up in some laboratory somewhere."

"No, she's not!" Eleven called from his position bent over Maken, scowling down at his clone. "Our little friend over here informed me that they couldn't take Donna, so he just knocked her out when she tried to distract him so that we could escape, and left her there on the ground."

"What?" Ten snapped incredulously, swinging on him. "Where is she?"

"Calm down, she's all right," Eleven tried to placate him. "I found her while I was searching for you lot. Brought her into the TARDIS, looked her over real quick. She's fine, just sleeping it off. Left her a note and made sure I got caught trying to break in. That's how I found out what had happened to her."

Ten glared at the unconscious man on the floor. "He's lucky I don't stoop to his level and take him out while he's vulnerable. Once he's awake, however, I will be more than happy to take charge of restraining him."

Eleven shrugged, hauling the limp man up into the air with a remarkable lack of gentleness and distinctly contemptuous ease. "You'll have to get in line. In the meantime, why don't you help me get him out of here? Rory, can you take Maesita, and I'll have Lyssa take Amelia? The sooner we're out of here, the better."

Lyssa nodded. As Ten turned towards Eleven and Maken, Lyssa stepped in front of Eleven and the still form of Maken to head towards Maesita. She kept an eye on the dirt to her left as she did so, not wanting to get anywhere close to the carnivorous plant. But as she did so, she also inadvertently stepped closer to Eleven and Maken.

And as she crossed in front of him, his eyes snapped open.

Not expecting Maken to regain consciousness for a while yet, Eleven was unprepared for Maken to stand up straight and twist himself free with a vicious punch to the ribs. Instinctively moving his hand to cover the hurt, he yelled to Rory, "Watch the door, he's trying to escape!"

But he wasn't.

Lyssa spun around at the Doctor's yell to see Maken charging at her, a crazed gleam in his eyes. He had his arm held out like he was going to hug her; except she knew there was no affection to be found in his arms.

And, you know, there was a field of dirt right behind her that meant death to touch.

Maken had no plans to escape, he knew he couldn't.

What he could do was take her down with him.

She heard Ten yelling her name as he tried to grab Maken, Eleven doing the same, but they all knew they weren't going to make it in time. She could see the cold light of triumph in Maken's eyes as he grew closer.

She didn't have anywhere to run - she couldn't go forwards or back, and if she ran to the side he would just tackle her into the dirt anyways.

Everything beyond the two of them seemed to dwindle into nothing, until it was just him, running towards her, and the sound of her heartbeat echoing in her ears.

Then he reached her, and all she could hear was a loud roaring in her ears that blocked out everything else as his arm crashed into her chest. Her feet slid out from under her and she fell backwards. Knowing it was useless, her hands still flew up to his arm to try and push him off her as they fell, finally succeeding in freeing herself as she prepared herself to fight for her life once more.

Then they hit the ground, and the air flew out of her lungs for the second time that day, her head thudding painfully against the ground. She lay there in a daze, trying desperately to draw in air, the screams filling the air doing nothing to lessen her confusion.

Maken appeared above her face, hand reaching towards her, and she flinched away from him, unable to do more than that in her current state. He winced in return, and said something, but she couldn't understand what he was saying until he started to lift her up.

Understanding dawned, and she started to struggle weakly, knowing he was just going to throw her into the dirt, far enough that she had no hope of escape.

Except he didn't. He just kept looking down at her with this face that her brain eventually interpreted as concern.

She didn't know _why_ Maken would be concerned about her, but - Oh.

The screaming finally stopped, allowing her muddled thoughts a chance to collect themselves. She coughed out weakly, managing to draw a wheezing breath back in.

"Doctor?" she croaked.

"Lyssa!" His eyes were damp, and staring up at him from such a close distance, she realized that his eyes weren't completely green, but rather had flecks of other colors in them as well. "Lyssa?" He sounded even more worried now, and she realized that he'd been talking and she hadn't answered at all.

"You have different colors in your eyes," she told him slowly.

He blinked. "Er... yes?" he said uncertainly, drawing out the word. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Haven't decided yet," she mumbled, leaning her head against his chest and smiling slightly when she felt his hearts beating solidly beneath. "I'll let you know when my thoughts stop spinning in circles."

She could feel his hearts start beating faster, and knew he was worried before he bent over her again. "Lyssa, how are you feeling? You took a nasty fall, I wouldn't be surprised if you're feeling a bit confused. But I need to know if you're in pain anywhere else, if you've got double vision, confusion, anything out of the ordinary."

She blinked up at him, then slowly turned her head to see Ten watching her in concern. "I see two Doctors, does that count as strange?" she mumbled, snickering weakly when Eleven sighed. "My head's a little sore, and so's my back, but I still know my name and age. I don't have a _clue_ what day it is because I'm a time traveler, but I'm hoping it's the same day that we got here."

She sat up a little straighter in his arms as she started to come back to herself, looking around the room for any sign of Maken, only for there to be no sign that he even existed. "Wait - what happened to Maken? He was just here, wasn't he?" She stared at Eleven in worry, now starting to think that he might have been right to be concerned. "Did I pass out? How long was I out of it? What else did I miss?"

Eleven's jaw tightened, and she didn't miss the grimace on Ten's face as Eleven very deliberately turned away from the bush so that she was facing the doors. "He tried to tackle you to the ground, but misjudged his distance, most likely because he still wasn't used to a Time Lord body. What he actually ended up doing was slamming you to the concrete and sending himself right into the dirt across a bunch of vines. You weren't around to help him this time, and he was... disposed of in short order."

"Oh..." There was some sort of dramatic irony here, she just knew it. "Isn't there a Bible verse about stuff like this? 'He who digs a pit for others will himself fall into it', or something like that?"

"Mm, 'he who plants a cannibalistic bush will himself get eaten by it'?" Eleven teased her, smirking when she rolled her eyes. "It's in the book of Proverbs, which makes sense. Because, you know, it's a proverb."

She rolled her eyes, wriggling until he reluctantly set her down, still obviously skeptical of her ability to walk by herself. "Wow. So glad you made that connection for me."

"Always here to help!" he told her cheerfully as Ten, carrying a still-unconscious Maesita, pushed the double doors open and strode into the hallway, followed by the others.

"Wait!" she panicked. "This place was filled with guards! We're going to get caught!"

"No, we won't," Eleven promised her grimly, face set and determined. "I have the face of their leader, and you and Rory were both supposed to be clones. We'll just say we're escorting my past self and Amelia to another lab for further testing."

Ten grinned over at her, the smile in stark contrast to the stress lines the day had written on his face. "And if that doesn't work, I get to go to Plan B, which will become Plan A as soon as we get out of here anyways."

"And... what's Plan B?" she asked slowly, not trusting the smile.

"Once everyone's out, we set the place on fire and watch it burn to the ground," Ten said, clearly relishing in every word.

"Okay, but then what do we do after that?" Lyssa pushed. "These guys were murdering people and stealing their lives. If we leave them alone they're just going to keep doing this!"

"In the height of irony, we are going to leave them alone," Eleven said calmly.

"Wait, what?" Lyssa stammered, not sure she'd heard him right.

"We're going to leave them alone," Ten repeated, his eyes darkening as they stalked down the strangely deserted corridor. "They wanted to be immortal, and now they effectively are."

"Okayyyy?" Lyssa said slowly. "Still not seeing how that's taking care of things."

"Immortality has a price," Eleven said heavily. "It's time that they learn it."

* * *

 **A/N: And would you look at that. 10-12ish chapters and three months later, this arc has (finally) drawn to a close, being my most popular and most reviewed arc ever, which is insane, and amazing, and thank you all so much for all the support! You guys are all amazing, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!**

 **Next chapter should have final clean-up and the repercussions!**

 **Fun fact: Lyssa almost killed Maken in most of my early drafts for this point in the story. The original idea was to have Maken (or other main bad guy, he had yet to be named in my earliest drafts) directly threaten either the Doctor or a child or both, instigating Lyssa to act. This eventually led to her directly acting in such a way that Maken was deliberately killed by her to protect her friends, with the consequences of such an action eventually hitting home as well.**

 **However, the idea was eventually scrapped (with the help/advice of Wattpad user AllOfTimeNSpace, so shout out to her!) because such an action would be both wildly ooc for Lyssa at this time, particularly given the events of the last chapter, and it ended up not working out with the direction I wanted this story to go. Either way, Lyssa (and Rory) are the real heroes of this arc, taking down the two main baddies while the Doctors are incapacitated, which was my main goal all along.**

 **Another fun fact: The Bible verse referenced is actually Proverbs 26:27: "Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them." The context of the surrounding verses was in regards to things done with malicious intent. So basically, karma.**

 **Final fun fact: Some of the earliest drafts for this story include: The fake Doctor and Amy being hard-light holograms as opposed to actual people; and the planet actually itself being the main villain; being a parasitic, mostly sentient planet that takes visitors and morphs them into children which are then raised as natives on the planet, thus increasing its number of inhabitants. (Yeah, that idea got tweaked a lot before eventually being scrapped, lol).**

 **Also, it looks like most people prefer me leaving a note if I'm unable to update for whatever reason, so that's what I'll keep doing for the time being. However, if more people end up preferring no note, then that's what I'll switch too. I'm perfectly fine with either option, so I'm just going with majority vote here. :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to Mikari Satsuke, Guest (1), yellowroseofthenw, afionna262, brmngirl, and guest (2) for reviewing!**

 ** _Guest 1: Yeah, no, no worries! I completely get where you're coming from! Like I said earlier, most people who responded preferred me leaving a note when I couldn't update, so that's what I'm going with now, but I'm really going to try and limit that if I can, and to know ahead of time what's going on that week so that people don't get their hopes up for an update that turns out to be false. :P Of course! You were respectful when you phrased your question/comment, and I'm always open to constructive criticism or anything else that will help make my story more enjoyable for my readers! Thanks for all the compliments, I'm so thrilled you like my story! :D Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like the new chapter! :)_**

 ** _Guest 2: Aww, yay! Thank you! That's actually a really adorable scene, and I hope I can work it into a future chapter some time soon. Thanks for the idea! Ooh, and thanks for the tip! I'll try and check out that site soon when I have time. I'll probably never be able to work in all the Doctors' adventures simply because that would make an already likely-to-last-forever story even longer, but I have considered doing crossovers occasionally like I did with this arc, where another Doctor from the past joins the current one, and they go on some adventure. I guess we'll see. :) Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you like the new chapter! :D_**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa and my other mini OCs.**


	73. Chapter 73 - Paying the Price

Lyssa stood on the ground just outside the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS, staring up at the sky. Ten stood beside her in a similar pose, hand in his coat pockets and his jaw set. Both watching as a small cylindrical object shot up into the atmosphere before exploding in a burst of purple that spread out to cover the entire planet. It eventually dissolved away into the air as though nothing had happened, but if she tilted her head just right, she could see faint hints of shimmery purple here and there.

"Do you think it worked?" she said at last.

Ten didn't take his eyes from the sky. "I think it'd be more prudent to be worried about whether or not it'll stop working in three hundred years."

"Three hundred -" She gaped at him. "Don't you think that's a bit long? Surely none of the Atrellians have _that_ long of a lifespan."

He dropped his head from the sky at last to turn and look at her, the anger in his eyes only just hiding a pain she couldn't even begin to fathom. "Actually, I thought I was being rather generous. We know some of their elders have lived to be at least eighty, and who knows how long they're still going to live? Not to mention some of the younger participants might live for a good few centuries yet."

A shrill whirring noise that made her wince interrupted them, and they both looked over at the source. The Eleventh Doctor stood in front of the spa they'd visited earlier that day, his entire aura radiating danger and his TARDIS standing a few yards away.

And where they'd escaped from less than an hour ago, the massage center hiding a network of tunnels and laboratories underneath. It had been extremely satisfying to watch the building go up in flames once everyone had left under some pretense or the other Eleven had cooked up while pretending to be Maken. The blood Lyssa had recovered from the laboratory had been safely disposed of by Ten while Eleven took care of destroying the building and the secrets it had been hiding below.

Now he had all the spa workers and most of the government workers gathered in front of him, the others forced to listen in on a hijacked broadcasting system. All the other visitors had been forcibly evacuated with promises of compensation shortly after they'd escaped, and now Lyssa and the two Doctors were the only off-worlders to remain on the planet.

Rory, Amy and Donna were inside the TARDIS, waiting inside the Infirmary where Amy and Donna were slowly recovering under Rory's watchful eye. Lyssa had only been allowed to stay on the planet on condition that she stick close to the Tenth Doctor and far away from any of the Atrellians.

She'd only been too happy to agree.

She stood silently with Ten as the Eleventh Doctor accused them, in explicit detail, of their crimes.

Kidnapping visitors who'd wandered too far from their group. The laboratories and the horrific conversion process. The ability - and willingness - of the Atrellians to steal the faces and memories of loved ones to make you believe that all was well when in reality they were probably already dead. The illegal experimentation taking place underground.

Stealing the lives of innocent people for their own selfish gain.

"You spent so long bemoaning the fact that you only lived ten years that you forgot what living was all about," he accused his silent listeners, the crackling of the burning building behind him setting a haunting accompaniment. "It's not how long you live, it's what you do with that time. You've made so many technological advances that you could have used to help people. Instead, you've become murderers in the name of life."

He glared at them, perhaps even more at the fact that no one spoke up to refute him. To deny the horrific accusations. "I would be well within my rights to have everyone on this planet forcibly removed to await trial under the Shadow Proclamation and blow this entire planet to bits to ensure that that wretched plant is gone. And trust me," he grit out, "I would be more than happy to."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, opening them once he'd relaxed somewhat. "However, your children didn't ask for this, nor do I believe they would agree it was right if they knew what you were doing. Nor would it be right to punish them for something they didn't do. So here's my generous offer. I leave you here, and you all get to live out the rest of your lives, untouched by the outside world, and unable to touch them."

Visibly restraining himself, he jerked his head up to the sky. "That purple flash you saw? That was a Tetrin Shield, placing this planet under quarantine for the next three hundred years. No one gets in, no one gets out. In the meantime, you get to find out the price of immortality."

He smiled crookedly. "Trust me. It's not all that it's made out to be. It's a lonely life. Your stolen lifespan doesn't pass down to your children, who will all live the normal lifespan of an Atrellian. Your children will be born, will live, will die. And you will live on, watching from the shadows until you can finally move on. You wanted to be immortal? You effectively will be. But for every life you've taken, a life will be required of you in return."

Ignoring their shouts, he strolled calmly to his TARDIS and strode inside, pausing in the doorway. Stepping halfway back, he made eye contact with one of the leaders, eyes cold. "Welcome to immortality."

Then he stepped back inside the TARDIS and promptly took off, the ship slowly fading into thin air as the building behind it collapsed in on itself. A shower of sparks and smoke shot up into the air as the tunnels below it started to give way.

The Tenth Doctor watched with grim satisfaction. "And good riddance, I say."

"Do you think they all knew what was going on?" Lyssa asked him quietly, eyes still focused on the blaze burning in the distance. "That they were all in on it, I mean?"

"They'd have had to be," he told her in the same tone. "An operation that big? No way it wasn't sanctioned by the government. And the workers... too many of them were involved. Did you hear the crowd when Eleven was talking? They were from all over the place, pulled in by the blaze. But not one of them denied his accusations, or even looked surprised. Even if they weren't directly involved, they approved of it by not doing anything about it."

"And the people who were innocent won't be affected by it?" she insisted.

He looked away from the blaze at last, smiling sadly down at her. "The only ones we're punishing here are the people who used the mud, because they'll live far longer than everyone else. They can grow crops here, and produce technology. They won't suffer for want of food or comfort." His eyes glazed over. "And yet some would say that we're giving them a punishment far more cruel than any the Shadow Proclamation could grant them."

"Cruel?" She furrowed her brow. "I don't understand - you've stopped their main source of livelihood, yes, by getting rid of the tourists, but Atrellian was a self-sufficient planet long before they became known for their spas. You're literally just keeping them here, on a relaxation planet. Some would say that you're being too kind, not vengeful enough." She shook her head. "I'm not questioning your decision, because I trust you, I just - I guess I don't see how this is so cruel."

"Kind?" Ten scoffed. "They will have to bury their children. What could be more cruel than that?"

Lyssa's mouth formed a silent 'oh' of understanding. Glancing at him, she felt her heart aching at the pained experience in his tone. Shuffling ever so slightly closer to him, she awkwardly reached out and wrapped her hand around his, entwining their fingers. Blushing when he looked at her in surprise, she refused to let go and instead tightened her hold in support.

"Yeah, but you said they'd live natural lifespans," she reminded him gently. "They'll marry and have children of their own, and live to the natural end of their life before moving on in peace, surrounded by those they love." She smiled up at him. "And maybe the newer generations will show the older how to live in peace with what they've been given."

He glanced down at her with a sad smile, squeezing her hand tight. "Maybe they won't be the only ones to learn from those around them." She frowned up at him in confusion, and he just laughed. "You still don't understand how much you've helped me, do you?"Leaning in to kiss her on the forehead, he just laughed again when he saw her blush before growing serious. "And I'm afraid that I'm going to need your help again very soon."

Her smile falling at the dead serious note in his voice, she shifted in worry. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not all right, Lyssa," he told her bluntly. "I've had my head played with and my emotions manipulated. I've had my friends be hurt and almost lose their lives because of a decision I made. And I can say with one hundred percent certainty that the man who took off in that TARDIS just now is feeling the exact same way, only worse. He went through an extremely painful conversion process twice today, fully conscious. He had to deal with the guilt of being unable to warn you when his clone showed up. Of being unable to protect you when you were attacked."

He lifted a hand to stroke alongside her bruised cheek, and she couldn't help her flinch at the contact as her bruise protested. His expression twisted with guilt and he dropped his hand, but he continued speaking before she could apologize. "And he knows that it was someone wearing his face who hurt you."

Lyssa sighed, rubbing her free hand over her face, not even surprised. "Of course he would feel guilty over that." She removed her hand to glare at him balefully. "You have a serious guilt issue, you know that, right?"

"No one could be more aware of that than me," he agreed wearily. "However, that's not the point. The point is that my future self will be here at any moment to drop off Donna and pick you up, and then he's going to run."

"What?" she asked uncertainly. "Run? Run where?"

"I don't know," Ten shrugged. "Anywhere. Anywhere that he thinks you won't be hurt by him. But he thinks that he's responsible for you being hurt, and so he's going to run. He's going to be annoyingly overprotective, I can promise you that, but he's going to run." He looked her in the eye, resting his hands on her shoulders. "I know that I'm asking a lot of you here. But please - don't let him run. It's what I do best, but it's not going to help anything."

"Oh." Lyssa nodded in sudden realization.

That was one thing the Doctor had been accused of doing often in the show back in her old universe. Running from his problems rather than facing them head on. But today hadn't been easy on any of them. And if the Doctor needed her help, he was going to get it, like it or not.

She stood a little straighter. "I won't let him run," she promised him confidently, brain already running through different plans of attack.

"Are you sure?" Ten asked her cautiously. "I won't make it easy, I can promise you that."

"Doctors really do make the worst patients, huh?" she grinned crookedly up at him. "Don't worry. I think I've got an idea."

"Okay, now I feel like I need to apologize to my future self," Ten muttered, grinning when she gasped in mock outrage, trying to elbow him. The sound of the TARDIS materializing distracted both of them, and they waited in silence as the TARDIS finally solidified.

The doors creaked open, and Donna stepped out, hair slightly mussed but otherwise looking none the worse for the wear. "Your driving's gotten worse, spaceman!" she hissed as soon as she saw the Tenth Doctor. "I didn't think it was possible, but it has!"

"I heard that!" The Eleventh Doctor appeared in the doorway, offended scowl on his face. "I'd like to see you try and navigate a ship meant to have six pilots with only two hands!"

She tossed her hair, sniffing in disdain. "I think the issue isn't the lack of pilots, spaceman. It's the _current_ pilot that's got the problems."

"It's probably cause he never asks for directions," Lyssa offered, laughing when both Doctors turned offended faces on her. "What? It's true! How many times have we ended up somewhere we weren't supposed to go?"

Eleven turned to his past self and raised his eyebrows, acting as if he were sharing a great secret. "There's no loyalty. None."

"None at all," Ten agreed. "How are you feeling, Donna? Ready to go?"

"More than ready," she said vehemently, rolling her eyes. "I want to go to that diamond planet you keep mentioning but never taking me to. I want an actual spa that won't try and kill me this time."

"You know, there's more to the planet than just the spa," Ten complained, not noticing how Lyssa and Eleven had both stiffened. "And I thought you would have been sick of spas by now!"

"Ha! Jokes on you, spaceman," Donna called over her shoulder, pulling open the door to Ten's TARDIS and making her way inside. "A girl can never get tired of being pampered." She stuck her head back through the door. "Although in my case, I don't think I have to worry about getting too pampered any time soon." She glanced at Lyssa. "It's all explosions, and danger, and 'run!' with him."

Lyssa smiled wanly, visions of a wrecked train cab on a diamond planet still dancing through her head. "Not much changes in the future." She paused, pretending to think. "Or in the past, come to think of it."

Donna chuckled, coming back out and sweeping the surprised girl up into a hug that she was barely able to respond to before it was over. "It was good seeing you again, Lyssa, even if you hardly know me. Take care of the Doctor, heaven knows he needs a babysitter!"

Eleven didn't even bother pretending to look offended this time, shaking his head and smiling. "It was nice to see you again, Donna. Thank you for what you did today. Take care of yourself."

She sniffed. "I always do. Someone's got to." Then she relented, hugging him as well before disappearing back inside the TARDIS, lifting a hand in the air in farewell.

Ten looked at his future self and Lyssa. "Well, I suppose this is goodbye."

She cracked a smile. "I suppose it is. And I suppose I might miss you, just a tiny, tiny bit if anything were to happen." She pinched her fingers together. "So be careful, all right?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Really feeling the love, fairy-girl," he teased her. "It's nice to know I'll be missed if I get eaten by a Morthsnip, or trampled by a Berthelflik."

She rolled her eyes, hugging him. "I mean it," she emphasized, pulling back to glare at him. "Be careful, all right?"

He crossed both his hearts. "As careful as I can be," he promised.

"This coming from the man who can get into a near-death situation twice a day," she muttered, smiling to take any insult from it. "I'll see you around, Doctor. Don't be a stranger!"

He grinned, nodded to his future self and making his way to the TARDIS, pausing halfway through. "You know, I think I've had enough of spas for the day. Midnight has a few tourist-y travel stations. Might take a train around instead, see the sites. Because visiting another spa right now?"

He shook his head firmly. "I don't want to go."

Saluting them one last time, he disappeared inside his TARDIS, the ship slowly de-materializing shortly thereafter.

Lyssa glared at the disappearing ship, making throttling motions with her hands before stalking back to their own TARDIS, muttering something about infuriating Time Lords, and fangirls, and _feels_.

Eleven stopped her once they were safely inside the console room, looking down at her seriously.

"Is everything all right, Doctor?" she asked him worriedly.

He hesitated, then shrugged, dodging the question. "Amy and Rory are going to be taking a break from traveling with us. You should go say goodbye."

"They're leaving?" she said in surprise. "Why?"

A muscle in his jaw spasmed. "I think it would be best for all of us if we were to take a break. They need time to recover somewhere they won't be under constant risk of attack." He swallowed hard, looking away from her. "And so do we."

 _'He feels guilty for what happened to you. He's going to run. Don't let him.'_

Ten's words of warning swam into her mind, and she frowned, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. This was the point in the original series where the Doctor had left Amy and Rory behind to protect them, setting off on his travels to find a way to prevent his death at Lake Silencio. He couldn't bring them with him anyways, as he ended up traveling for several hundred years before he found a way.

So this needed to happen, as long as he was doing it for the right reasons.

"You'll still visit them, right? Take them for trips and stuff?" she questioned him, noticing unhappily how his gaze kept falling to her jaw before flitting away again. "This isn't a permanent goodbye?"

That got his attention, and he briefly met her gaze, letting her see the seriousness in his eyes. "No. They've become like family to me, and..." he sighed. "I don't have many people like that left." His eyes darted away again. "I just can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?" she said slowly, a bad feeling starting to form in her stomach.

"This. Today. Yesterday. All of it!" he exclaimed, starting to pace, gesturing wildly as he talked. "People keep getting hurt because of me, and I'm sick of it! I can't keep doing that, bringing them to places, making them think I'm so great when I'm _not_!"

He stopped pacing abruptly, eyes weary and sad as they fixated on a point on the ceiling. "I'm not who they think I am, I'm just... a tired old man who's good at playing. But every game has an ending, and every stage has a last showing."

"So what are you saying?" she asked quietly, wrapping one arm around her stomach.

"I'm saying," he sighed, eyes finally coming up to meet hers, "that it's time for me to say goodbye to them before I'm saying goodbye to their grave."

She chewed her lip, wincing when she tasted blood. "If you think you're doing the right thing, who am I to say otherwise? Just... make sure that they know why you're doing it." Flashes of Sarah Jane meeting the Tenth Doctor flashed through her head, and she smirked. "And, you know, make sure you drop them off in the right spot this time."

"What?" His brain must have followed the same path hers had, because it had barely been a minute before he began to protest weakly. "That was one time, Lyssa! One time!"

"Uh-huh," she hummed, unconvinced. "Directions. That's all I'm saying." She flashed him a weak grin. "I'm gonna go say goodbye to Rory and Amy, then I'm gonna take a _desperately_ needed shower." She hesitated, trying to figure out what she wanted to say, then finally settled on, "I'll meet you back here afterwards?"

"I'll be here," he muttered, focusing on the surface of the console.

She reluctantly turned to leave, something nagging at her to stay, to say _something_. Anything.

But she didn't know what to say, not yet, and so she left.

xXx

Saying goodbye to Rory and Amy had been awkward, as she didn't know if they knew they were leaving yet. So instead, she focused on making sure they were both all right. Amy was tired, and Rory was bruised, but otherwise both were unharmed and completely back to normal.

"So why'd you really come down here?" Amy asked her bluntly after hugs had been exchanged and they'd exhausted the normal topics of conversation. "This was nice and all, but you didn't stop by just to see how I was doing."

Lyssa didn't even bother trying to pretend otherwise. "I'm here to say goodbye," she said simply. "I need to go clean up, and... something tells me I won't be seeing you guys again for a while."

"Are you all right?" Rory asked immediately, scanning her up and down. "Aside from the obvious, I mean."

Lyssa opened her mouth, about to say the generic 'I'm fine', then stopped, shaking her head reluctantly. "Not really. But... I think I'm going to be."

Rory studied her expression intently before seeming to see something that made him understand. "Well, I'm going to miss you, Lyssa, but I think you're going to do great. Just remember to take care of yourself, all right?"

She smiled, giving the nurse a hug. "I promise. And something tells me that if I don't, I'm going to have a Doctor breathing down my neck until I do, so..." She shrugged. "And you two..." She tried to think of something wise and appropriately mysterious to say in farewell, but ultimately landed on what had happened between the couple after the Doctor had left.

"Lyssa?" Amy asked worriedly, waving a hand in front of her face. "You okay? You kind of zoned out for a minute there."

"Sorry." Lyssa blushed. "It's been a long day. I just wanted to say, stick together, no matter what." She looked between the two of them. "You two are each other's greatest allies, best friends, and honestly, just plain couple goals. Remember that," she told them seriously. "No matter what happens, remember how much you love each other, and don't _ever_ let each other go."

"Is something going to happen?" Rory asked uncertainly, glancing between his wife and Lyssa.

Lyssa waved her hands in the air. "No! You two are going to be amazing together, I promise!" she said hastily. "You _are_ amazing together. I just don't want you to forget that."

"I won't let him forget how amazing I am, I promise," Amy assured her with a smirk, wrapping her arms around her husband and peering up at him flirtatiously.

He rolled his eyes fondly, returning the embrace. "As if I've ever forgotten or could forget," he scoffed, leaning down for a kiss.

Lyssa quietly left the Infirmary with a smile, giving the couple their privacy. They would be all right as long as they had each other. Now she just needed to take a shower and find the Doctor.

xXx

She couldn't find the Doctor.

She'd taken a shower, washing what felt like a pound of dirt out of her hair and scrubbing her skin until it shone. Unfortunately, removing all the dirt made her bruises stand out all the more against her skin, and she grimaced into the mirror, her reflection imitating the expression back at her. The bruises were ugly, and they hadn't even finished developing.

A long sleeve shirt covered up the bruises on her arms - and was comfy and warm. But she couldn't do much about her face, unless she wore a face mask for the next two weeks.

It should say something about her state of mind that she actually considered the idea for a minute or two before dismissing it. She'd gotten the bruise protecting her best friend, and she wasn't ashamed of it.

The Doctor was, though.

She grimaced again, turning away from the mirror in distaste. She pulled her damp hair back into a loose braid, threw on comfy socks and a pair of slippers, and checked to make sure her journal was in her pocket with a pen.

"Now to find the Doctor," she muttered, setting out from her room resolutely.

And it had been going fine, so far; until she couldn't find the Doctor.

He wasn't in the console room, or the kitchen, or the library. She'd knocked on his bedroom door, but gotten no answer. She'd checked the Gallifrey Room on impulse, only to find it empty of all occupants. All his other usual haunts - and even a few unusual haunts - were unoccupied as well, but the TARDIS had responded in the affirmative when she'd asked if he was still in the ship.

The ship had also responded in the affirmative when she'd asked if he knew she was looking for him.

She narrowed her eyes in thought. Ten had warned that his future self would be overprotective, but would also try and run. At first, she hadn't understood how he'd been able to do both, but now, she was starting to understand.

The only way he could have know she was looking for him was if he'd been keeping an eye on her himself. He was hiding from his perceived guilt, but still looking out for her.

From a distance.

Because that always worked out _so_ well.

He hadn't been running from Amy and Rory, who the TARDIS affirmed had been dropped off at home. He'd just been running from her. Probably hoping that she wouldn't push the issue.

Well unfortunately for him, she had stubbornness issues.

She lifted her chin in acceptance of his unintentional challenge. "Old girl, do you think you can help me out here?"

She smiled at the hum the ship gave. The Doctor wasn't gonna know what hit him.

xXx

Twenty minutes later, she was ready. Thanks to the TARDIS, she had a picnic basket that felt almost lighter than air no matter what she put inside it. She'd already stuffed several blankets and pillows inside, two thermoses of her special hot chocolate, and her weapon of choice.

"All right, old girl," she called up to the ceiling with a grin. "Now where is the Doctor?"

The lights to the left of her went dim, leaving the right side of the hallway lit up. She shot the ceiling a thumbs-up. "Thanks, old girl!" She followed the lights until they stopped outside a door she hadn't come across before. Rapping on the door, she called out his name and waited expectantly. There was a thud from inside, and she smirked, knowing he'd been caught off guard.

When nothing else happened, however, she narrowed her eyes at the door before trying again with the same result. She wasn't going to kick the door open and drag him out if he really didn't want to come out. However, she wasn't above subterfuge when the time called for it.

Setting her basket off to the side, she allowed tears to fill her eyes in preparation. The tricky part here was to not actually start crying and lose control, because she was practically a basket case after the last few days. She just needed to be able to evoke enough sympathy to get him out of the room and stop brooding. She didn't want to actually start crying, because that would just make him feel guiltier.

"D-Doctor?" she called quietly, allowing her voice to tremble ever so slightly. "It's okay if you don't want to talk to me. I just... I just didn't want to be alone right now." She grinned in triumph when she heard footsteps immediately start heading for the door.

Score one for guilt tripping.

She quickly swiped at her eyes, not wanting to look like she had been crying when he finally opened the door, looking clean but unhappy. His eyes darted down to her bruise, and his jaw clenched before he quickly lifted his gaze back to hers. "Lyssa?"

And yeah, okay, maybe she felt a little bit bad now about guilt tripping him, but technically, she meant every word she said, _and_ she had had good intentions. "Hi." She smiled weakly at him. "I meant what I said. If you don't want to talk to me, or hang out with me, that's fine. I was just thinking -"

"No, no, it's fine," he hastened to assure her, stepping out into the hallway completely and shutting the door to the room firmly behind him. "If you need me, I'm going to be there for you."

Okay, now she really was going to cry. Blinking back tears, she hugged him before he could see, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest when he returned the gesture. "And I'm here for you, too. I promise." Trying to subtly wipe her eyes - and probably failing judging by his expression - she pulled back to study him. "You know that, right?"

He tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace than anything. "Of course I do," he assured her, and she sighed.

Because he did know that. He was being completely honest here, and she could tell. The problem was, he wasn't going to do anything about it if she didn't take the first step.

"Can we just go hang out in the Gallifrey Room?" she asked him quietly. "I think we both need some peace and quiet after this week, and that place always helps me to relax."

He agreed easily, picking up the picnic basket - after promising not to look inside - and tucking her arm in his. Setting off for the Gallifrey Room, Lyssa raised an eyebrow in amusement when it literally appeared around the corner. Mouthing a thank you to the TARDIS, she stepped through, the Doctor following behind her, basket in hand.

The two suns were shining brightly in the blue sky, a gentle breeze keeping the heat from getting too strong. The waterfall was pouring into the pool below, and a small clearing under some nearby trees by the pool looked just perfect to sit and dangle their feet into the water.

She grinned. "Perfect." Indicating for the Doctor to set down the basket by the bank of the waterfall, she pulled out a thick quilt and spread it out on the ground, tossing the pillows on top of the quilt for extra cushions. "Now close your eyes and stay here," she instructed him.

"Why, what are you doing?" he asked suspiciously, closing his eyes anyways.

She grinned, pulling her secret weapon out of the basket and hurrying over to the door. "Just some extra insurance," she called over to him, setting it all in place. Returning to him, she sat down on the blanket. "You can open your eyes now," she informed him.

He opened his eyes, narrowing them at her. "You're up to something," he accused her.

She nodded easily, patting the blanket beside her. "Absolutely. And I promise you'll find out what it is soon. But first," she said seriously, "We need to talk."

* * *

 **A/N: Nothing good ever seems to come from those four words... Or does there? :D**

 **I know I said I was going to get to the love confession this chapter, but... it didn't work out. However, rest assured that it IS coming next chapter, and I've actually shown a preview of it to one of my readers who immediately accused me of playing with their heart, so I'll let you take from that what you will. :D**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to all of my wonderful reviewers!**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I can barely get my life together, and you think I own Doctor Who? Nah. Just Lyssa.**


	74. Chapter 74 - A Long-Overdue Talk

**_This chapter is dedicated to all my faithful readers. I will be forever grateful for your support and encouragement._**

The Doctor flinched ever so slightly before immediately forcing himself to relax again. "Talk? About what?" he asked casually. "I'm quite good at talking, I'll have you know. I once saved an entire planet just by my ability to talk for a solid thirty-six hours straight. Bored the invading race to tears. Would you believe that? A warrior species, just breaking down and crying because they were so bored."

But Lyssa had seen the flinch, and bit her lip. Her original plan had involved somehow getting the Doctor to talk about his feelings, and then, just to even out the impossible things done that day, get the Daleks to declare peace with the universe and retire to knit cardigans. But now, as she looked closer at the Doctor, seeing the tension that kept his shoulders rigid and the lines pain and worry had etched on his face, she mentally revised her plan.

She didn't think she'd be able to get him to talk just by asking him, and it might even make things worse because he'd feel pressured to speak around her, thus unable to even relax. But if she went first, maybe he'd feel more willing to speak? She knew she'd have to talk about what'd been bothering her anyway, might as well get it out of the way.

Of course, that meant she'd have to be honest about what she'd been feeling...

The things she did for the Doctor. Never let it be said she didn't contribute to their relationship.

A hand waved in front of her face, and she blinked back into focus to see the Doctor studying her with narrowed eyes. "Lyssa? Are you all right? You just kind of zoned out there."

She shook her head, shoving away all the other distracting thoughts. "Yeah, sorry. Got lost in thought. What were you saying?"

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, but didn't call her on it, instead repeating his question. "What did you want to talk about?"

She took a deep breath to fortify herself, butterflies springing to life in her stomach. Licking her lips nervously, she began hesitantly, "As you know, the last few days have been... well, a bit crazy. For all of us, obviously, but I think especially for the two of us."

He snorted. "What gave it away?"

She smiled wryly, hoping to keep her nervousness out of her face. "Anyways, I was just thinking..." She took another deep breath, trying to bolster her courage.

Worry filled the Doctor's eyes, and he sat up straighter, looking at her intently. "Lyssa, is everything all right?"

"Well, that's what I was hoping to talk about," she muttered, crossing her arms over her stomach in discomfort and staring at the water flowing in the riverbed. "I don't know entirely what you went through before I jumped here, but... I know that I'm not in a good place mentally right now, and I was hoping that I could talk it through with you."

The Doctor reached over and took her hand in his, squeezing it comfortingly when she looked up at him. He spoke in a low but earnest voice, the words all the more powerful for their undeniable honesty. "I know that you haven't been there yet, but I promised a long time ago to be there for you when you needed me. I kept that promise then, and I'll keep it again now. Whatever you need me for, I'll be there for you."

Lyssa blinked back unexpected tears, unable to stop a small smile breaking through. "Thank you," she whispered sincerely, squeezing his hand in return. "And I hope you know that I'll do the same for you. I promise. If you need me, I'll be there for you."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "Oh, my fairy-girl. I know. Trust me, I know. You've been there for me in my darkest days."

"And you've been there for mine," Lyssa reminded him, thinking of days filled with blood covered hands and nightmares, and all the while he tirelessly stood by her side.

He shrugged in self-deprecation. "I could do no less, after all you've done for me." He changed the subject before she could refute his point. "But I think we were talking about something else?" he redirected her gently.

Lyssa grimaced, knowing it needed to be done, but more than happy to put it off just a little bit longer. "It's stupid," she muttered, directing her gaze back to the water.

"Then you've come to the right place," the Doctor jogged her elbow gently. "I'm an expert at that."

She snorted, her smile fading as quickly as it had come. "That's part of the reason why I'm talking to you," she said. "Not because you're stupid, obviously, but because I need someone to talk it through with." She grimaced at the thought, but forced herself through it, reminding herself that it was for the greater good.

"And because talking through your problems and traumas can help you get through them," she admitted reluctantly. "And it's not going to do me any good to just bury my issues; they'd just return at a later date and probably screw me over at the worst possible time."

"Well, I have absolutely _no_ experience with _that_ ," the Doctor quipped before becoming serious once more. "But... you're not wrong."

Lyssa sighed, wrinkling her nose. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

He nudged her gently. "You know you don't have to say anything now, right?" he reminded her quietly. "You just narrowly escaped dying twice in as many days. You can take some time to relax and process before confronting traumatic events again."

She shook her head firmly. The idea was tempting, but... "If I don't do it now, I'll never do it," she said. "I'll put it off, or I'll jump to an earlier you who won't fully understand what we saw, and I'll excuse addressing it until it becomes an even bigger problem. As it is, I've probably left it far too long."

The Doctor glanced at her, frowning in confusion. "We only just got back," he pointed out.

"From this adventure, yes," Lyssa confirmed. "But... not from the other ones. It's been slowly building for a while, and I don't think I fully realized it until we got to the hotel and it was shoved in my face."

"Do you mean what you saw in your room?" the Doctor tried to clarify.

She nodded, then thought it over. "Well, sort of. I suppose I should start at the beginning. Well, I mean," she paused, trying to come up with a place to start. "I'm not even sure where the beginning is."

"Take your time," the Doctor encouraged her gently. "I can wait as long as you need."

She smiled at him gratefully, still trying to sort through her thoughts and finally settling on a spot. "Thanks. I guess it all kind of started two jumps ago. I was with Nine and Rose, when we took Adam to see Satellite 5."

The Doctor crinkled his nose in distaste at the name. "Adam. Blimey. I'd forgotten about him," he muttered.

She nodded in agreement with the sentiment. "So, after we dropped him off, he... sort of blamed me for what happened, because I knew what was going to happen. And while he is the one to blame for what he did to himself, I... still feel guilty because I knew what was going to happen to Suki, and I didn't stop it - and then Rose got hurt, and that's on me as well, because I knew she was gonna get shocked and I didn't do anything to stop that either!"

She held up a hand when the Doctor opened his mouth to speak. "I know what you're going to say, but could I finish first? I kind of have to say it now while I still have the courage." He nodded, and she continued, taking a deep breath.

"I know that you started to address it while I was there, but several of my memories had to be hidden on my next jump, and those got buried along with them. You brought back my memories at the end, but most of what you said is still buried. Sorry," she added sheepishly.

"Anyways, I do remember you telling me that part of the reason why I got all woozy towards the end was because Suki's death was a fixed point in time, and my connection to the Time Vortex meant that I felt the feedback from her still being alive first. And then I jumped to your future, and..."

She shook her head. "That was an adventure all on its own. I can't tell you too much 'cause of spoilers, but let's just say that there was a creature that could melt your mind once it latched onto you, and..."

"It latched onto you?" the Doctor finished grimly when she didn't.

She nodded, remembering with a grimace how it had felt to have the Teller rooting through her memories and attacking her. "You saved me by putting me to sleep and putting up a mental wall or something to block my mental signature, I think. It's obviously a little fuzzy."

She sighed. "Anyway, moving on. People died, I was there for a little bit longer, and then jumped to that stupid hotel. I still can't believe I woke up to a giant chicken," she muttered. "Who's scared of giant chickens?"

The Doctor smirked, but didn't say anything, letting her concentrate.

"Right. You know most of what happened there," she waved a hand in the air. "Found a room filled with a freakin' giant spider and freaked out, met Rita and the others." She paused, chewing on her lip. This was where she started to really get honest.

"Found my room," she admitted at last.

The Doctor squeezed her hand gently in encouragement.

She swallowed hard. "I know the room was supposed to show us what we feared most. And it did, I think. But... it also made me more afraid."

"Afraid of what?" the Doctor asked gently.

She bit her lip, not wanting to admit it. But... the whole point of this was so that they would talk to each other, and they couldn't exactly get anywhere if she refused to tell the truth. "Of - of everything, I guess," she admitted miserably. "What I saw, what it means, what you would think of me if I told you."

"Why would I think less of you for being afraid?" the Doctor asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. "Everyone is afraid of something, even if they're not willing to admit it. I'm scared of things. I had a room there, too."

"It's not so much what I'm afraid of, as it is what it meant," Lyssa admitted. "I told you that I was scared of the future, of who I'd become. Of losing who I am."

The Doctor nodded somberly.

Lyssa squeezed his hand, trying to draw strength from his steady grip, and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping an arm around them. "In my room, there was a woman who looked like me, only older. She had my eyes, and mostly gold hair, like you told me could happen as my body adapts to the Time Vortex."

Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the way the woman had laughed coldly, mocking the Doctor's pain. "But she was cold. Cold and hard. She laughed at the pain of others, and tried to cause more. She hurt you, and delighted in it. You tried to talk me out of it, and I... she... refused, telling you that I was gone, and that it was all your fault that she was there in my place."

She swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "She tried to kill people."

The Doctor's face filled with sympathy, but Lyssa forced herself to carry on, not looking him in the eyes for fear of what she might see.

"And we got past that, sort of. I know that our personal futures aren't set in stone. That I can change my future. But I could still become her," Lyssa forced the words out, everything in her rebelling against them. "I'm changing physically, how long before I change mentally as well?"

She took a deep breath. "But then we landed on the planet, and everything went sideways. And that's not your fault," she added strongly. "But then you got turned into a kid, and Ten showed up, and fake you and Amy, and then you told me that someone was lying, and then you passed out and wouldn't wake up, and then I had to figure out who we could trust, if I could trust anyone, and then Maken came running after us, and then we got captured, and..."

She paused, abruptly realizing she'd been telling him stuff he already knew - and had experienced himself. "Sorry. Anyways, you and Ten were tied up, and I had to try and stop Maesita because otherwise she was going to hurt you both, and then I was facing off against her, and I just - I couldn't!" she blurted out.

"She was going to hurt you, and I had the chance to stop her - she _gave_ me the chance to stop her, and I didn't take it! Instead I basically gave up and left the three of us in her hands, and the only reason we're all still alive is because Rory came along and managed to figure out that she was the fake!"

She stared into the distance with her hands clenched as she forced back the tears that threatened to fall. "I was so afraid of becoming her, but here I am, and I couldn't even try to stop someone who was going to hurt you. What kind of person am I, that I couldn't even try to stop her?"

She sniffed, wiping at a stray tear that trickled down her cheek as she finally admitted the truth. "I couldn't save you, and I'm _sorry_." A sob slipped out despite her best efforts, and she could no longer hold back the tears as she broke down. "You're my best friend, and I let you down, and I'm so, so sorry," she cried, burying her face in her hands.

An arm slipped around her shoulders, tugging her into a warm embrace. "Oh, Lyssa. Is this what you've been holding onto all this time? Is this what you've been so afraid of?"

She buried her face in the Doctor's chest and nodded, feeling her tears wet his shirt. "I just - there's so many bad things that happened that I could have prevented, and I didn't, and then I saw my room, and..." She trailed off, unable to continue any further as another sob ripped out of her.

"Well, I still maintain that you did me no wrong, but... if that's what you truly believe, then know this, Lyssa Devons: I forgive you. Always and forever," he told her quietly.

She didn't know how much she'd needed to hear the words until he said them and they broke down the last of her walls, wiping away her guilt and fears with her tears. She leaned into him for support once more, and just like always, he gladly gave it.

The Doctor rubbed her back soothingly with one hand, tracing the other one gently through her hair and just letting her cry. When she had finally cried herself out, he helped her sit up straight and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Do you feel better now?" he asked sympathetically, wiping away the tear tracks under her eyes with his thumbs.

She nodded with her eyes low, cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment.

"Hey, now, none of that," he reprimanded her gently. "We all need a good cry now and then, and it's better to have a shoulder to cry on than alone. It's healthy to cry - it relieves stress and can calm you down."

"Doesn't mean it's any less embarrassing," she muttered, swiping at her runny nose with her sleeve.

"Well, if it helps, I'm not judging you for it," he told her, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and handing it to her. "I've cried in front of you far too many times for that." He hesitated. "And I don't know if this will help or not, but... you've cried in front of me before, and I've never thought the less of you for it. If anything, we've always grown closer after, because it shows that we're able to trust each other with our joys and our sorrows."

"How poetic," Lyssa murmured, taking the handkerchief gratefully and wiping her face clean.

He just shrugged. "I suppose. But it really does mean a lot when you can go to someone with your worries, and receive support and understanding in return."

She bit her lip, ducking her head away from his. "Yeah... It... did mean a lot that you didn't judge me for crying. Thank you for that."

He placed his hand atop hers. "Of course."

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to lift her head and look him in the eye, allowing him to see how serious she was. "And you know that I won't ever judge you for being hurt or upset either, right?" she asked him. "I won't ever laugh at you for needing someone to talk to, or even to just vent at, if you need to let some steam off."

He smiled softly, patting her hand. "I know, fairy-girl. Trust me, I know."

"I mean it," she insisted; suddenly feeling this urgent need for him to believe how much she meant it. "You've always been there for me when I need you, let me be there for you when you need someone."

He seemed struck by something in her words and stared intently into her eyes as if to determine the truth in them. She met his gaze evenly, willing him to see the honesty in them.

He shook his head suddenly, laughing softly with no real humor. "All this time you were afraid of changing and losing yourself, and yet I was the one who refused to see the truth."

"Doctor?" Lyssa asked slowly, growing concerned.

He chuckled again, the sound almost coming out as a sob. He gripped her shoulders gently, ducking his head to look her in the eye. "I knew what you didn't, and yet I still couldn't see it."

"Lyssa. My fairy-girl." He breathed her name as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "You will never lose yourself. I've known you for hundreds of years, and in all that time, you have never changed in the way that matters. You have never _once_ lost your way, even in your darkest times."

Lyssa blinked at him, taken aback by the utter sincerity in his words. "But Maesita -"

"Was not yet a distinct threat," the Doctor finished firmly for her. "You refused to hit her because you didn't want to seriously hurt or kill someone who was apparently defenseless and not presenting a threat at the moment. Just because someone promises harm doesn't mean they'll be able to follow through, especially if they haven't proven their abilities yet, like Maesita. When Rory knocked her out, she'd already proven that she was willing to hurt people, because she hurt you. She hadn't done that yet when you faced her."

"But I still should have tried harder," she stammered weakly.

"And you did," he reminded her. "When you started to recover, you grabbed your pipe and tried again. Rory just got to her before you did. And that's the important thing here," he emphasized. "When things went wrong, you didn't give up. You tried again. And that's something that you never lose."

He shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "You change over the course of time, yes. We all do. That's the point of growing up - to mature, to try and be better than we are. But there are some things that never change - some things that you never lose. You never give up, and you never lose your heart." He paused, his eyes fixed on hers for some reason.

"And that's what I love most about you."

Wait.

WAIT.

"What?" she squeaked, shock making her voice go up an octave.

The Doctor's mouth crooked up gently into a small, genuine smile. "Your heart is what I love most about you," he told her again.

"Yeah, no, I got that," she said faintly. "Go back to the part where you said you love me. Did - did you mean that?"

His smile relaxed into a more somber look, his tone quiet, but sincere. "I think there's been enough deception for one day, fairy-girl." Keeping his eyes on hers, he dug one hand into his pocket and pulled it out again, something cupped carefully in his hand. When he opened it, her necklace lay curled in his palm.

She gasped. "My necklace!"

He smiled wryly. "You about gave me a heart attack when I saw this sitting on the floor by Rory's unconscious body. The Minotaur had been leaving one personal item each time he'd taken someone. I thought he'd taken you."

She grinned sheepishly, remembering the look of relief on his face when he'd seen her. "Sorry."

He shook his head, laughing. His eyes fell on the necklace again, and his laughter faded. "You know," he said quietly, fingers curling around the jewelry as if to protect it. "When I saw this on the floor, I thought my worst fears had been realized. And then I opened my door and found my room. And I realized that it was so much worse."

His eyes fixed on a point far in the distance, glazed over as the memory resurfaced. "I fear what I've always feared. Losing you to he- to something horrible... and what your loss will drive me to do. And I saw that loss realized, and knew what I'd do. What I had done."

Lyssa squeezed his hand comfortingly, and his eyes snapped back to hers. He returned the gesture as a small smile came to his face. "And then you did what you've always done, and came along out of nowhere and snapped me out of it. You saved me, if even from myself."

He withdrew his hand then, and lifted up the necklace with both hands in a silent question. When she nodded, blushing, he waited for her to pull her hair out of the way before placing the jewelry around her neck and securing it in place.

Lyssa felt some hitherto unknown weight fall off her shoulders as her charm fell in its usual place just below her collarbone. She reached up one hand to grab it, rubbing her fingers lightly over the cool metal. She smiled in gratitude, but the Doctor continued speaking before she could.

"You're my best friend, and occasionally, my bringer of common sense. I've loved you for five hundred years, and I'll love you for a thousand more," he promised solemnly, sealing his words with a kiss on her forehead.

Lyssa's eyes began to burn bright with tears for the second time that hour, and she scrambled for something appropriate to say, her cheeks burning with what felt like the heat of a thousand suns.

The Doctor smiled gently, and, perhaps out of mercy, kept talking. "You don't have to say it back," he said softly. "I just thought you needed to hear it after today."

She closed her eyes to keep back the tears that threatened to fall yet again, unwilling to admit just how much his words had affected her. She couldn't remember the last time someone had said they loved her and meant it - certainly her mother had never said it.

She didn't want to be like her, never able to admit that she cared for others. She knew she loved the Doctor - she even had the horrifically awkward memory of realization to prove it.

And yet, something held her back from saying the words back to him.

Still, she had to say something, and so, blushing horribly, she curled her fingers around his and met his gaze. "I did. Thank you," she said softly. "And I hope you know that... that you've been my best friend for almost as long as I've known you. And that I'll be there for you whenever you need me."

He smiled, not seeming to be hurt by her inability to say it back. He started to speak, and then paused before seeming to come to a decision. "I know. And... I hope you won't think too poorly of me if I... take you up on that promise."

She shook her head immediately. "Of course not! If you don't judge me for ugly crying in front of you, how could I possibly judge you for anything less?"

He shrugged. "You say that now... you haven't seen me ugly cry yet."

She shrugged back at him. "Can't be worse than me."

He raised his eyebrows with a smirk, but his expression quickly fell. Sighing, he shifted his position so that his arms rested across his legs as he stared at the distant mountains. Letting his eyes glaze over, he tried to speak several times, each time shaking his head and closing his mouth, swallowing hard. Lyssa remained silent, letting him work through what he wanted to say.

Finally, he spoke, voice distant and eyes determinedly not looking at her. "It was bad enough that I had to face _him_ , the man I swore never to become again. But to see your loss shoved in my face all over again..." His hands clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. "And this all after I already feared you to be dead." His voice shook, growing more emotional as he worked to keep his face calm. "I've faced your loss far too many times already." His voice broke. "Wasn't once enough?"

Lyssa felt her eyes growing wet with sympathy as he struggled to keep from breaking down. Shifting until there was no space between them, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders in an attempt at support.

"I'm here," she promised him in a whisper, her own voice close to breaking.

He stiffened, eyes filling with tears as rapidly as he blinked them away. He swallowed hard, his hands spasming. He took several shaky breaths, trying to speak but failing each time. Finally he gave up, shaking his head and burying his face in his hands, his shoulders starting to shake.

"Oh, Doctor," Lyssa whispered, her heart breaking for him. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to comfort him. He turned in her arms, burying his face in her shoulder and wrapping his own arms around her. Her shirt quickly grew wet with his tears, but all she could focus on was trying to soothe his pain. She traced one hand over his back and kept the other cupped at his neck, much the same way as he had when she'd had her own breakdown.

Her legs quickly grew numb with the awkward positioning, but she refused to let go or even move until he was ready. His hold on her was desperate, bordering on too tight, but she just kept her own arms secure, trying to be strong for him the way he always was for her.

At last he seemed to calm, his breathing slowing and becoming more steady, and his arms slowly relaxing in their hold, slipping down until he drew a deep breath and slowly sat back up. His eyes were red-rimmed and heavy, and tear tracks stained his face, but there was a peace in his eyes that she hadn't seen there earlier.

She smiled softly at him, reaching one hand up to brush his floppy hair out of his eyes. He caught her hand gently in his own before she could reach it, keeping his eyes fixed on hers as he kissed the back of it.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

She tried to force down her raging blush, probably unsuccessfully. "Of course. I promised I would be there for you, didn't I?" she reminded him, trying to act nonchalant.

He saw right through her. "Doesn't mean that it means any less when you're there for me," he pointed out. "A lot of people promise things they don't always follow through on. I've been guilty of that myself. I've always kept my promises to you, and you've always kept your promises to me, to the best of our abilities, but the fact of the matter is, keeping your promises seems to have gone out of fashion."

She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Well then, I guess it's a good thing we both suck at fashion, huh?"

He glanced down at her with playfully narrowed eyes. "Bow ties are cool," he insisted stubbornly.

"Oh, absolutely," she agreed, peering up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, waiting for the punchline.

Well, she couldn't just leave him hanging now, could she?

"They're just not fashionable," she finished with a snicker, jerking away from him with a shriek when he gasped in outrage and poked a finger into her side.

"Excuse you, I look fabulous!" he insisted over her shrieks of laughter, following her when she tried to roll away and continuing to tickle her, his own laughter disrupting what he was trying to say.

She finally rolled to a stop near the edge of the water, red-faced and breathless from laughter. He leaned over her, green eyes bright with merriment.

"Well, you certainly look like something," she gasped, drawing deep breaths as she tried to regain some modicum of self-control. "I don't know if fabulous is the word _I_ would use, but if it makes you feel better..."

He got a dangerous look in his eyes, and she suddenly paused, disconcerted. "Doctor? What are you planning? Doctor?" Her words grew increasingly shrill when he abruptly placed his hands at her side and gently pushed her.

Towards the water barely two feet away.

"No, no, no, Doctor, don't!" she shrieked just before she ended up in the water with a splash. She resurfaced immediately with a gasp, only to be met with the sight of the Eleventh Doctor nearly doubled over with laughter.

She splashed water at him, swiping her now-soaked bangs out of her eyes with a huff. "I hate you," she grumbled, making her way out of the waist-deep water towards the bank.

"No, you don't," he grinned easily, eyes bright.

She narrowed her eyes at him before coming to a decision. She splashed him one last time - which he dodged easily - before climbing back out onto dry land. She wouldn't let him escape that easily, however, and glomped him with a hug before he had the chance to escape, quickly soaking him.

He didn't even try to dodge it this time, returning the hug with a sort of desperate strength that belied his easy laughter.

Which she could understand. Underneath all their laughter and smile, and tears and forgiveness, was a deep-seated fear of loss that the past few days had only exacerbated. It would take more than a few tears and heartfelt talks to make it better. But that was okay.

They had each other.

And with that in mind, she kissed him on the cheek before she could lose her nerve. When he looked at her in surprise, she blushed but met his gaze earnestly.

"I think you needed to hear it today, too," she told him. "So I'm telling you now: I love you, you daft old man, even if you _do_ make questionable fashion choices."

And really, that was all that needed to be said.

* * *

 **A/N: *Slinks sheepishly back into room***

 **Hey, guys. I know I said I had planned on coming back in May, but that obviously didn't pan out so well. D: I'm really sorry that it took so long, and that I was unable to post a warning about it either. I had several things come up that I had NOT expected, and long story short, I have only just now been able to finish this chapter and get it up.**

 **I'm also gonna be honest with you and say that I had a family emergency come up early on that came out of nowhere and felt like a baseball bat to the gut. It quite honestly wasn't until just recently that I felt like I was ready to try and get back to writing again.**

 **So with that being said, I do hope to get back to regularly writing now. For at least the time being, I'm planning on trying to post every other weekend as I try to get back to a normal schedule.**

 **Also, I want to take the time to thank each and every one of my readers who kept reading and reviewing and following, even when I hadn't been able to update for several months. Your encouraging comments and support really inspired me to come back to writing, and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to do so. And, as of this posting, this story has over _160,000_ views, which is AMAZING, and I'm so grateful to all of you! Thank you all _so_ much, it really does mean a lot to me!**

 **And special thanks to Wattpad user AllOfTimeNSpace for her continuous support, understanding, and willingness to be my sounding board for ideas (good and otherwise). She has a really neat story called The Creator that you should check out, we'll be doing a crossover in the near future! You won't need to read it to understand what's going on, but if you're looking for a new read, I recommend that one!**

 **And now onto the ACTUAL story notes... do y'all remember me promising you guys a love confession like, six months ago? Yeah, it's finally here! (Probably not _quite_ the love confession you were looking for, but... no one specified what _kind_ of love confession it would be...) ;D**

 **This storyline should (finally) be wrapped up next chapter-ish, including some long-awaited answers and actual plot progression (I know, shocker, right?)**

 **Thank you all SO much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General disclaimer: If I was the BBC, I'd probably be a lot more punctual about releasing new chapters... D:**


	75. Chapter 75 - Jokes, Jealousy and Revenge

_Okay, so I'm probably gonna sound like a raging lunatic for the next few paragraphs, but just... try and look past that, okay? It's been a long... day? Week? Month? What year is it, even?_

 _Ah, the life of a time traveler. No wonder the Doctor's never on time._

 _Anyways... I already wrote most of what happened in that creepy hotel; or what I know of what happened at least... I still have questions... but then after that, everything just went completely crazy, even by the Doctor's standards._

 _He had the worst of it, actually... I mean, Ten definitely didn't have fun, and neither did I, but Eleven... I think this one's gonna stick with him for a while, unfortunately._

Lyssa leaned her head back against the tree at her back with a sigh before turning to look at the Time Lord currently dozing on her shoulder. After a prolonged water fight - which she knew she'd only won because he let her, though she wasn't going to bring it up if he wasn't - they'd both stretched out against a tree to dry off.

They'd sat in peaceful silence for almost an hour before he started to nod off, and she ended up pulling him to lean against her before he could fall all the way to the other side and hit the ground and wake himself up. He needed his sleep, and she could use the time to fill out her journal, so why not? Even in sleep, though, his posture was tense, as if expecting an attack at any moment. And really, who could blame him?

 _If I hadn't literally just had an extremely emotional conversation with the Doctor, I would say that I feel partially to blame for what happened, since he brought us to that stupid planet to help us recuperate, and I feel like it was for me in particular._

 _However, I did just have said extremely emotional conversation, and... I'm going to try not to blame myself for things that are out of my control. I didn't force the Doctor to bring us here, and I didn't force the Atrellians to try and kill and torture innocent people. What happened was not my fault. (Be proud of me, Doctor, even if you never see this. I'm trying)_

 _It's also not the Doctor's fault, and I'm probably going to have to remind him of that. Frequently. Especially considering I've got a giant reminder throbbing constantly on my face..._

 _Okay, OW, note to self: Don't touch giant bruise on face. It's still there, I promise you, and it FREAKING HURTS when you touch it. *cries, because I'm an emotionally stable-ish woman, and the Doctor's asleep so he'll never know*_

 _Anyways... I get distracted a lot, sorry... long story short, Ten and Donna met up with me, Eleven, and the Ponds on the resort planet, Eleven and Amy got turned into toddlers (Yep. Toddlers.), and the evil clones of their adult selves tried to (well, I say tried, they were a bit more successful than I would have preferred) kidnap the children for their own nefarious purposes._

 _Which was to feed them to a giant plant, apparently..._

 _(Again, yep. I was there. First time I can truthfully say I've seen an evil bush.)_

 _I got taken out by my clone (yep) like a dummy trying to rescue the Doctors (note the plural), before Rory came along and saved the day._

 _What is it with medical people and saving the day? Leave a little glory for the rest of us commoners, please. I already lost all my dignity, at least let me have a little glory..._

 _And then the Doctors destroyed the evil plant (Is it a bad thing I wanted to help set things on fire? I feel like it is...) and... basically left karma to punish them._

 _And THAT'S the short version._

 _Uh-huh. My hand already aches at the thought of having to write out the longer, more accurate versio-_

She flinched and dropped her pen, leaving a mark on the page when the Doctor suddenly jerked, letting out a pained mutter before falling silent again.

"Doctor?" she whispered softly, trying not to wake him up if he was still asleep.

He curled tighter into himself, his breathing growing unsteady.

"Doctor?" she tried again, only to get the same response. When she ducked her head to look at his face, his eyes were still closed, though scrunched up as if he were in pain. "Are you... having a bad dream?" she frowned, hand reaching up to his forehead before hesitating.

 _What am I supposed to do?_ she panicked silently. _I don't know what to do in this type of situation!_

 _I've heard not being a complete dummy and trying to help is usually a good thing when your friends are hurting_ , her brain offered helpfully.

She grimaced, rubbing a hand over her face before wincing when the Doctor moaned again. She curled her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms and willing the pain to help her come up with a solution.

Okay, he'd just come out of a traumatic situation, and she was pretty sure that you weren't supposed to just carelessly wake up people who had some version of PTSD, for both their own sakes and for those who were trying to wake them.

She could only imagine how the Doctor would react if he woke up violently, expecting an attack, and ended up hurting - or even scaring - her.

He'd probably lock himself in some private room for the next century.

Yeah, it was probably a good idea to avoid risking that...

But she couldn't just leave him alone to suffer, though, especially after everything he'd gone through recently. And he really needed to sleep, so she didn't want to shout him awake at a distance...

She bit her lip, casting her mind through her various ideas before finally tentatively settling on one.

Shifting so that her back rested more fully against the tree, she lowered her shoulder until he started to slide down her arm, carefully shifting both of their positions until he was laying on the ground, his head resting on her lap by her knee.

She froze when he started to stir, holding her breath until she was certain that he was still asleep. She let it out slowly, shaking her head at herself before checking on the Doctor once more. He was no longer muttering, but his forehead was still scrunched, and he was slowly turning his head from side to side restlessly.

Without even thinking about it, she let her hand fall to his forehead, gently stroking the hair back off his face. And as if by some magic, he stilled, practically leaning into her touch. She flinched, suddenly realizing what she had done, starting to draw her hand away, only to pause again when he scrunched his face up again.

She frowned, letting her hand rest on his forehead again speculatively. When his face smoothed out into something almost peaceful, she closed her eyes in exasperation, cheeks flushing bright red.

"It's nothing he hasn't done for you before," she reminded herself forcefully. "And you know that this regeneration is more touchy feely than the others. Of course he's going to take comfort from a friendly touch, especially after today!"

She shook her head at herself, forcing herself to put aside her feelings of embarrassment. If this is what it took to soothe the Doctor, then that was what she was going to do. (She was just going to bury herself later).

Shifting so that she rested more comfortably against the tree, she settled back against it, letting her left hand run slowly through his hair in a repetitive motion and picking up her journal with the other, carefully balancing it against his head so that she could continue to write.

 _Never let it be said that I can't multitask_ , she mused as she chewed on the end of her pen, staring down at the pages.

xXx

Half an hour later, she groaned and let the pen fall from her cramping fingers, wriggling them in hopes of relieving the pain. When it finally started to abate, she took a deep breath before blowing it out, sending her bangs in every direction, and reading back over what she'd written.

She'd managed to cover everything important that had happened on the planet, as well as her talk with the Doctor afterwards (many cringes were had). She'd been as honest as she could be, but she probably still assigned the blame to herself a bit more than she should.

She'd also written down a list of things that she was still confused about from the last few adventures, planning to bring them up with the Doctor when he was awake. And now that she was done...

She was bored.

She was actually kind of surprised by that, having half expected herself to be perfectly content doing nothing for the next month.

Although, granted, she'd kind of expected the Doctor to be awake for that. She smirked at the thought, glancing down at the sleeping man.

He was still completely out of it, leaning into her touch any time her hand started to pull away.

On the bright side, though, his sleep seemed to be much more peaceful now that she was running her hand through his hair.

It... was actually really soft.

She shook her head at the thought, scolding herself. She wasn't here to gawk at her hurting friend or take advantage of his unconscious state; she was just trying to comfort him because he was having a nightmare.

 _Even if they had technically just confessed their love for each other a few hours earlier..._

She jerked at the unexpected thought, cheeks starting to burn as she fiercely scolded herself again. _THEY. WERE. FRIENDS_. It was an assurance that they both cared for the other after an awful day, and that was all. She wasn't going to try and pretend there was anything more

The Doctor started to stir at the sharp motion, and she snatched her hand away from him like she'd been burned, hurriedly picking up her journal and staring at it like it held the answer to her problems as he blearily opened his eyes.

"Lyssa?" he muttered sleepily, blinking at the light. His face scrunched into a frown as he tried to wake up, before smoothing into a small but genuine smile at the sight of her.

If he hadn't been so out of it with sleep, he probably would have picked up on how hard she was trying to be nonchalant when she turned from her journal to him, not to mention how red her face was.

"Did you have a nice nap?" she asked casually.

"Nap?" he frowned in confusion, blinking at her adorab - normally, like a normal person. "Why did -" His eyes fell on her necklace before he came back to complete awareness with a blink, something like disappointment flashing through her eyes, almost too quick for her to tell. "When did I fall asleep?" he asked, a faint red staining his cheeks. "And... why'd you let me sleep on your lap? I thought I was leaning against a tree?"

She avoided his gaze, sure she was blushing again. "It didn't seem like a very restful sleep, and I've got cushy legs, might as well put 'em to use for something, right?" she mumbled. "And it gave me the chance to finish filling out my journal, so it wasn't like it was an inconvenience."

His gaze was thoughtful as he studied her, and she was suddenly sure that her secret wasn't very secret at all. "Well, I did need the sleep, and it was a much more restful sleep than I've had for a while, so... thank you."

"Yeah, sure, anytime," she muttered. She froze, suddenly realizing what she'd just said. "I mean, not _anytime_ anytime; not that I'm saying I _won't_ do it again, I'm trying to say that -"

She stopped, hiding her face with her hands and sighing. "Never mind. I don't know what I'm saying, but I don't think it was anything to do with common sense."

The Doctor started to laugh, and when she'd gained enough courage to peer through her fingers at him, he was shaking his head and smiling fondly at her.

"What?" she pouted defensively. His smile just started to grow, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you laughing?" she whined.

"Oh, no reason," he said, all wide-eyed innocence before a slow grin broke out on his face once more.

She huffed. "I've half a mind to roll you into the water like you did me."

He pursed his lips in thought, completely unfazed by her threat. "Huh. Most people are usually all or nothing about me. If you've only half a mind, you should probably get that checked out."

She stared at him flatly. "You're right. If only I knew a man who was an expert at insanity."

He hummed. "If only. What a tragic loss. Unfortunately, I majored in jiggery-pokery, and only minored in insanity. I just don't think I have the experience necessary to help you."

"Education-wise, probably not," she admitted. "But don't you think you've got enough hands-on experience by now?"

He raised a hand and opened his mouth to speak before hesitating and lowering his hand again. "I mean... you're probably not wrong," he admitted, before crossing his arms when she smirked. "Well, you don't have to be all smug about it!" he groused.

"You're right, I don't have to," she agreed smugly.

He huffed, throwing an arm over his eyes. "I don't have to deal with this. I'm going back to bed."

She bit her lip, trying to hide her smirk even though his eyes were closed beneath his arm.

"I can feel you smirking from here."

"And I can feel you sulking from here, what's your point?" she countered.

He lifted his arm just enough to glare balefully at her. "I'm not sulking, I'm in the middle of a strategic retreat, there's a difference."

She nodded seriously. "Oh, of course. Absolutely." She resolutely focused on her journal when he lifted his arm again to study her expression with narrowed eyes.

He grumbled something unintelligible before falling silent for so long she thought he'd fallen asleep again. She went back over her journal entry, correcting a few points and adding a few more before going over her list of questions, chewing on her lip thoughtfully.

The Doctor shifted several times while she working, causing her to look up to see if he was awake, only to find that he'd apparently just been adjusting himself to be more comfortable before quickly returning to sleep.

Finally he seemed to wake up for good, heaving a sigh and lowering his arm, turning to face her.

"You know, there's still a few things I don't understand," Lyssa commented thoughtfully when she saw him looking at her, deciding to take advantage of his being awake.

"Really? Well, you're making more progress than I am," the Doctor grinned up at her from his position on her lap. "I don't understand most things."

"Well, that's a given," Lyssa teased, setting her journal off to the side and smirking down at him. "It's a well known fact that the smarter you are the less you know."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Fairy-girl, if I didn't know better, I would think that you just called me smart."

"Then I guess it's a good thing you do know better, huh?" she poked him in the forehead with a grin.

He crossed his arms with a pout. "Just because I forgot to put the lid on the blender _one_ time -"

"-Twice, _and_ you forgot to make sure that it was turned off when you put the food in. Also twice. And Donna mentioned you making it explode in her face -"

"That was an accident!"

"Meaning the last two times weren't?" Lyssa raised her eyebrows at him.

He grinned sheepishly up at her. "Uh... what were you saying about not understanding things? Maybe I can help!"

She glanced at him pointedly. "Like you 'helped' the blender?"

"Hey! Even you can't deny that it works twice as fast as it used to!"

"Twice as fast? Yes. Works? Ehhh," she waggled her hand in the air with a skeptical look. "I'll have to get back to you on that one."

He huffed. "There's no gratitude on this ship. None. Absolutely none."

"Gratitude typically implies happiness about the change," Lyssa pointed out innocently.

"No, it implies respect for good intentions. You know, if your legs didn't make such a nice pillow, I wouldn't stay here and put up with this ungrateful rudeness," the Doctor complained. "As it is, I'm much too tired to move and so you're stuck with me now."

"You say that like I'm supposed to be surprised. As it is, I'm probably just as tired as you are, so don't be surprised if I suddenly slump over on you and start snoring."

"If you start snoring, I'm taking that as implicit permission to roll you into the water again," the Doctor said complacently, shifting his head on her lap until he was comfortable and closing his eyes again.

She glared at him, contemplating the benefits of 'suddenly' needing to get up and use the bathroom before eventually deciding that he deserved the chance to relax after the last few days.

"You're lucky I like you," she informed him wryly. "Also, that I'm too lazy to bother shaking you off."

He opened one eye to look up at her before shutting it again. "You know, there's actually been a few occasions where being lazy has saved the world. And, occasionally, the universe."

She snorted. "Let me guess. You found this out from personal experience?" she asked him dryly.

He suddenly adopted a clinical tone, something in the distance seeming to require his whole attention. "Hi, you've reached the Doctor. I'm too busy trying to save the world and/or universe and being generally, all around cool to answer your question at this time. Please leave a message at the sound of the beep and try again later. _Beeeeeep._ "

Lyssa tried to hide her laughter at that, but couldn't muffle it entirely, instead letting out an extremely unattractive snort that left the Doctor trying (and failing) to hide his own laughter that just set her off again.

When she'd finally started to calm down, she took a deep breath and assumed a deadpan expression. "Hello, my name is Lyssa Devons and I was just wanting to let you know that you're an absolute dork. In fact, you are the dorkiest of dorks in a sea of dorks."

He clicked his tongue. "The nerve. And here I was, willing to give you answers to all your questions."

"But would they be the _right_ answers?" Lyssa asked him dryly.

He shrugged. "You didn't specify that part, so I figured it wasn't important." He sat up when she snorted, stretching his arms out wide and taking a deep breath before relaxing and leaning against the tree beside her. "All right, I'm awake now. Shoot."

"You sure?" she questioned, checking to make sure he was serious before scanning down her list. "Most of these are going to be pretty random; I just wrote them down as I thought of them," she warned him.

He shrugged again. "Never let it be said I don't take an opportunity to teach!" He chuckled when she elbowed him. "All right, I'm done."

She hummed skeptically before flipping the page to the top of her list. "So, the first few are from that creepy hotel. I have a few guesses on some of them; but I figured I might as well ask you. Um, how come Gibbis and I took longer to be affected once we found our rooms? And you, come to think of it. I mean, I low-key started to feel it right away, but it was nothing like the others until the end, whereas Howie lost it right away. And Gibbis found his room at the same time as Amy, so how come she was affected right away and he wasn't? And I don't think you were affected at all."

The Doctor paused to think about it. "Well, for starters, none of us are completely human. You're still fairly human aside from a few minor biological and psychological changes. That's probably why it affected you right away, but also affected you differently than the rest. Gibbis is completely alien, so I think he started to feel the affects, it just took him longer. It's probably something along the same lines for me. I am a Time Lord, you know," he reminded her jokingly.

"Time Lord, Schmime Lord," she muttered teasingly. "Okay. That one makes sense, and I was thinking it was something along those lines. Couple more, uh..." she scanned the page. "Don't take this the wrong way, but how come you didn't notice when I went missing? I'm not saying this in an accusatory way," she hurried to clarify. "It's just that usually you pick up on one of us running off pretty quickly. Was it the hotel?"

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "No, no, you're right. I do try to keep track of my companions, especially since they all seem to have a knack for not listening to me and running off," he gave her the side-eye. She looked away innocently and he snorted.

"I think it's along the same reasons Rory kept seeing an exit. He had nothing for the hotel to exploit, so it was trying to get rid of him. You, on the other hand, had something for it to use, so it did its best to make sure you found your room. That included diverting our attention." He grimaced. "I felt like I was in a heavy fog the whole time I was there; it was hard to stay focused or concentrate on anything."

"Wait, really?" she asked. "I felt the same way; I thought it was just because of where I had been before I jumped here."

He shook his head. "I think it clouded all of our minds. Made us easier to manipulate. It twisted our thoughts and diverted our priorities."

"As if I don't have a hard enough time keeping my thoughts straight on a normal day," Lyssa complained jokingly before returning to the matter at hand. "This next one you might not be able to answer since you were with me, but..." she shrugged. "When we broke out or whatever, Gibbis was avoiding Rory. He seemed almost scared of him," she muttered thoughtfully at the memory. "Did they fight, or something? It seems so out of character for them both."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow in amusement. "So you picked up on that as well, did you? Good eye. I personally didn't have a clue, but I wasn't going to ask. Amy was the one to tell me, actually. She said that Rory would either never tell me, or he would tell it all wrong."

Lyssa tilted her head to the side. "So what actually happened?"

"Apparently," the Doctor told her, "after I'd gone off looking for you, Gibbis suggested that the rest of the group abandon us to the Minotaur as a sacrifice and hope it would be appeased with that, and then try to escape, leaving us behind." He nodded at Lyssa's expression. "It went over about as well as you'd expect. Amy and Rita both objected quite strenuously, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows either of them. And Rory..." He glanced at her.

"Well, you know how he can be. Overprotective of those who make it onto his 'care list'. Not to mention that he counts us both as friends. As I understand it, he never actually laid a finger on Gibbis and yet still somehow left him in fear for his life."

"Rory did that?" Lyssa asked incredulously, trying to match her mental image of the fight with that of the reserved nurse she knew. "I mean, I know he's a capable fighter, and obviously protective of Amy, but... for him to do that for me... well, us, is..." She shook her head, uncertain why there were suddenly tears stinging her eyes.

She looked up to find the Doctor watching her with a sad look on his face. "I know you're still getting used to things here, and you're not as close to a lot of them yet as you will be. But someday you're going to know what it feels like to have friends who you know will always be there for you."

"Well, I've got you, don't I?" she muttered, nudging him with her arm and avoiding his gaze, not actually expecting a response.

"Always," he promised, intertwining his fingers with hers.

She blushed, again, but couldn't stop the smile. "You're ridiculous."

He didn't even bother to pretend to deny the accusation. "'Course I am. It's part of what makes me so attractive," he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She brought a hand up to cover her mouth, to hide both her shocked laughter and her red face. "What gave you that idea?" she sputtered.

"One, you didn't actually deny it," he preened, adjusting his bow tie smugly. "Two, someone whose opinion I very much respect and appreciate told me so."

The look in his eyes when he said that was smug, of course, exceedingly so. But it was also very... affectionate... and she looked away, wondering at the sudden knot she felt in her chest as he talked about his unknown friend he seemed to value so highly. "You must have very good friends, then, if they're all willing to tell you how attractive you are," she tried to tease him.

"Mm, actually they're not. You wouldn't believe the comments I get on my bow tie," the Doctor said casually. "I've only ever had one person really appreciate it, and even then only sometimes."

And there it was again, that affectionate look. Except, as she accidentally made eye contact with him, she could also see the glint of mischief in his eyes. She frowned at him, wondering what he was up to.

The Doctor smirked at her look before releasing her hand to sling his arm around her shoulder, tugging her close into him. He planted a kiss on her temple, a chuckle rumbling low in his chest. "I can't wait for the day you see her. You two are close. Very close. Practically identical. I can barely tell you apart some days." Another chuckle at some inside joke only he knew.

"Wait. 'See' her?" Lyssa frowned at the odd wording, twisting to look up at him. "Don't you mean 'meet' her?"

He hummed, not actually answering her. A smile quirked his lips. "It's one of those 'you have to be there to understand it' situations." He glanced down at her, mischief dancing in his eyes, and now she was sure that he was messing with her somehow. "If it's any consolation, she has great hair."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay. One, why does that sound so familiar, and two, why do I feel like you're just screwing with me?"

"You'll understand when you're older," he told her condescendingly.

"I will fight you," she warned him, waving her fists in the air threateningly.

He wrinkled his nose. "Eh. Been there done that. I prefer the making-up. It's much more enjoyable."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously. I would hope you don't like fighting with me."

He nodded solemnly, holding up three fingers. "Scout's honor."

She just stared at him flatly. "But you were never a scout."

"Oh, yeah? Well... well... shut up," he rejoined, crossing his arms with a huff.

"Oh, what a burn. What a response. I am thoroughly put in my place now," she said dryly. "If only I had known that response when I was younger. The fights I could have won..."

"Okay, fine, I was never a scout," the Doctor gave in with a pout before turning to eye her with a wicked look in his eye.

She tried to slide out from underneath his arm, not trusting that look. "I'm shocked," she muttered.

"I was telling the truth, though. Well, mostly. I don't like fighting with you. Ever. Except under certain circumstances."

"And those are?" she asked him warily, tensing her body for action. She was too late, though, as he scooped her up into his arms and stood up in a flash. "Doctor? What are you doing? Doctor!" she cried, wiggling frantically.

"Water fights!" he grinned, charging to the river and jumping in, Lyssa's shouts drowned out by the sound of the waterfall.

As soon as they hit the water, the Doctor pushed Lyssa up to the surface before letting go, probably trying to back away to a safe distance. She broke the surface with a gasp, flipping her wet hair out of her face for the second time that day, glaring at him balefully as water streamed down her face.

"I hate you," she grumbled, trying to stealthily sneak closer.

"No, you don't," he grinned, not at all trying to be stealthily as he matched her pace and maintained the distance, swiping his dripping bangs out of his eyes.

"Okay, fine, I don't," she admitted easily, too focused on getting closer to him. "But I will get you back for this," she promised with narrowed eyes.

The Doctor laughed delightedly, taking off his tweed coat and slinging it onto the bank. "Now _that_ I believe," he crowed wickedly, eyes dancing with mischief as he gestured her forward. "Bring it on."

* * *

 **A/N: Such a slow chapter, nothing of importance happened here, move it on...**

 **Although, I must say, I do feel like this is the start of a beautiful tradition... ;)**

 **Also, lesson learned. The Doctor does not mix well with blenders.**

 **Thank you all so much for your kindness and support, the response to the last chapter was amazing, and so encouraging, and I appreciate it so much! :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to all my reviewers! Your continued support means the world to me!**

 **For the time being, I'm still going to have to stick with updating every two weeks, so the next chapter should be up (hopefully) within the next two weeks.**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: BBC gives you guys actual plot. That's an accomplishment I have yet to achieve. *cries***


	76. Chapter 76 - To Scare a Doctor

"So, can I ask you something?" Lyssa started hesitantly as they started to pick up their picnic items. Night was starting to fall, and while she loved their room, she didn't want to fall asleep out in the open with wet hair and clothes.

"How come Ten never noticed I didn't have my necklace? When I first got here, before I got my necklace, you always looked so sad whenever you realized I didn't have it on. Which I can sort of understand now, since I wear it all the time. Me not having it means I don't hardly know you. So then, how come he never picked up on it? You're usually so observant."

The Doctor leaned back on his elbows with a sigh, staring up at the red sky with a thoughtful expression. "I mean, you're right about part of it. Your necklace usually gives me a hint about where you've been and how long you've been here. You having the blue charm, for example, means that you consider me your best friend by this point, and that I consider you mine. I also know most of the adventures you've gone on before you got your charm, and, controversially, also what adventures you have _not_ gone on yet."

"Wait." Lyssa sat up straighter, her wet hair laying limply on her back. "Does that mean that I'm going to get another charm?" She peered at the Doctor closely. "'Cause if you can roughly track me by my necklace, then that means that right now you can only track me up to about seven or eight months, and I've been here for over a year already."

The Doctor winked at her. "Spoilers."

She sat back with a pout, crossing her arms. "Should've known," she grumbled.

"No, but on a more serious note," the Doctor continued, "you're right. Ten should have picked up on it. It's one of the methods I use to avoid spoilers, among other things." He sighed heavily. "I should have picked up on it immediately, but my shields were already weak from the hotel. Now that the Time Lords are gone, I'm not as used to having to maintain full shields, so I was rusty, and out of practice. I didn't pick up on it until it was too late."

"Pick up on what?" Lyssa asked gently, lowering her arms.

"A planet-wide psychic field. A bit like a perception filter, and a lot like what the hotel had, actually. Keeps you from noticing anything too off unless you're really focused- say, like a family member going missing, or acting oddly and slightly homicidal. In this case, it kept Ten from noticing your necklace. It's also why we all got headaches whenever we looked at the clones. Our brains noticed the discrepancies and tried to point them out to us, but the psychic field kept us from noticing until they became too large to ignore."

"But he knew it wasn't safe on the planet though," Lyssa pointed out, puzzled. "When Donna was on the ship and he was looking for her, he said it wasn't safe here."

"Well, that could have been 'cause he saw the TARDIS and knew it wasn't his. Things usually go sideways when there's more than one of us in the same area." He chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "Or maybe his shields were better maintained, and he was able to pick up on it. And then once he found us, he was too distracted focusing on us to remember it." He shrugged. "It's hard to say. His memories were wiped once he returned to the proper timeline, so I only remember my version of events as they happened to me."

"Right useless you are," Lyssa teased him, nudging him with her elbow.

He snorted, but didn't deign to make a comment, obviously too crushed by her devastating blow.

Lyssa bent over to pick up their untouched hot chocolate, which had been completely forgotten about in the midst of their talk and subsequent water fights (which she'd only lost because he'd cheated). The thermoses were still just as hot as when she had poured them, despite several hours having passed since then.

"Ha! The TARDIS is awesome!" Lyssa cheered, setting the two thermoses back in her basket for later.

The Doctor adjusted his bow tie smugly. "Well, naturally. Like pilot like ship, you know," he started.

"It's a shame you can't be more like her," Lyssa cut him off, eyes dancing with mischief.

The Doctor tripped over his own foot, staggering wildly for a second before regaining his balance and fixing her with a wounded look.

She blinked at him innocently. "Is something wrong, Doctor?"

He huffed, swiping the picnic basket from her so she didn't have to carry it before setting off for the door, mumbling something about people disrespecting him in his own ship just loud enough for her to hear.

She hurried after him with a grin, only to bump into his back when he stopped abruptly. "Doctor?" she asked, with only a slight grumble in her voice, rubbing her sore nose.

"Lyssa," he said slowly, careful to keep any emotion out of his voice.

She peered up at him worriedly, noticing that his lips were compressed as if he were biting back something unpleasant. "Is everything all right?"

"That depends," he returned, still in that same, careful voice, "on why there is a large stack of apples in front of the door."

Ah.

She'd forgotten about that.

She peered around him at the pile of apples she'd hastily stacked against the door while his eyes were closed earlier that day. A few of them had fallen down, but for the most part, the pile was just as she had left it.

"Welllll," she said slowly, drawing out the word. "There's an interesting story behind that. But, you know, it's also a bit of a long one, and we've already had a long day, so why don't we save it for another day?" She blinked up at him hopefully.

"I'm a Time Lord, I have nothing but time," he told her flatly.

"But I'm not," she tried.

He continued to stare at her.

She gave in, her shoulders sagging. "Fine. It's really all your fault, you know. You told me to," she grumbled, crouching down and starting to pick up the apples.

He blinked. "I told you to block the door with apples? When - and why - did I do that?"

"Well, that's not... exactly... what you said," she hedged, dumping the apples in the basket and returning to pick up the rest.

"Then what did I say?" he pressed, raising his eyebrow and crouching down to be at eye level with her.

She avoided his gaze. "Something, something, Lyssa, you're so awesome, tell my future self to give you a raise."

"But I don't pay you."

She clicked her tongue at him. "I should report you to the Department of Labor."

"I mean, you could, but then where would you be?" He shifted until he sat more comfortably on the ground, crossing his legs and looking at her with a concerned expression.

"What?" she frowned, mimicking his pose and depositing the last of the apples in the basket.

"If it were something trivial you would have told me already, which means you're worried about my reaction if you tell me," he theorized.

She looked away guiltily. "I was already worried about you," she protested.

"Doesn't mean you can't still be even more worried," he pointed out, playing with a few blades of grass.

"You mean like you?" she asked dryly, noticing what he was very clearly not saying.

"You're not wrong, but I was talking about you," he told her bluntly, before his eyes dropped to her bruised jaw and his face twisted with guilt. "But I promise you, whatever it is you have to tell me, I'm not going to get angry at you. And I will never take out my anger on you, no matter how cross I get."

She frowned, noticing where his eyes had gone, and narrowed her own eyes at him suspiciously. "You're not blaming yourself for this, are you?" she questioned, gesturing at her jaw. "Because this is one hundred percent not your fault. Maken did this, not you."

"While wearing my face," he reminded her bitterly. His jaw worked before he shook his head, calming himself. "I'm trying not to. While he was the one to do it, and I would _never_ do what he did, it's hard to feel completely innocent when someone commits horrible acts while looking and acting like you."

"Except he _wasn_ 't acting like you," Lyssa pointed out firmly, laying her hand on his arm and looking him in the eye, willing him to see how much she believed this. "Because you would _never_ do any of those things. He was acting like himself, not you."

"But he _hurt_ you looking like me!" the Doctor spat out bitterly.

"And I _never_ believed it was you doing those acts, not for a second!" Lyssa exclaimed just as vehemently. "I may not know every life you've ever lived, or all your secrets, but I know your moral code, and more importantly, I know _you_. I never blamed you for what he did, and I _will_ never blame you for what he did. You couldn't have stopped him, and neither could I. It's not your fault, Doctor."

"But I -"

"Since I'm the one who got hurt, doesn't that mean that I'm the one who gets to decide who I blame?" she demanded.

He nodded reluctantly.

"Well, then. I don't blame you at all. I blame only Maken. And like you just said, it's my choice, and I ask you to respect that and not blame yourself."

"You - I - you can't do that!" the Doctor exclaimed, flailing his arms about wildly in the air.

"I can, and I did," Lyssa refuted him smugly. "You helped me to try and stop blaming myself for things I had no control over, why can't I do the same to you? Aren't we equals?" she asked innocently.

"I mean, yes, obviously, but, you know, when I mentioned that Time Lords are generally physically superior to humans, did I mention that we generally have a superior guilt complex as well?"

"No, because they don't. I think it's just you, dear." Lyssa smirked. "I think you're a bit too human for their tastes."

"Time Lords came first!"

"But their guilt complexes didn't," she sang. He snorted, and she nudged him, smiling. He shook his head at her, but he was smiling, even if it was reluctantly, so she counted it as a win.

"All right, fine. I'll agree to try not to blame myself for this if you agree to try not to blame yourself for things that you can't change," the Doctor offered at last.

Lyssa narrowed her eyes at him, considering his offer. At last she nodded, putting out her hand. "Shake on it."

"No takesie-backsies?" the Doctor grinned.

"None," she said firmly.

"You drive a hard bargain," he said, shaking her hand. "But you have yourself a deal." Then he grinned, standing up and pulling her up with him before releasing her hand and lifting the picnic basket up once more. "Will you tell me now why you piled apples in front of the door?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"You know, it's funny you should ask that," she said slowly.

"Because the answer is even more ridiculous?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, I'm feeling really called out, here," she complained.

"That's because you are, and the more you skirt around the answer, the more curious I get. So. Spill."

"It's not anything that exciting," she muttered.

"Well, I try to find joy in the mundane, so allow me brighten my day a little."

"Says the man who went nuts after an hour at Amy and Rory's house..."

"What?"

"Whoops. Not yet. Spoilers."

"You're still trying to distract me."

"Well, is it working?"

"..."

" _Ugh_. Fine. You're so demanding. If you must know, Ten asked me to."

The Doctor blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. "My past self asked you to place a pile of apples in front of the door to our room?"

"Well, not in as many words, no..."

"Then what exactly did he ask you to do?"

Lyssa wrinkled her nose, fiddling with the ends of her hair and not looking him in the eye as she mumbled a quick, only slightly inaccurate explanation under her breath.

"I really don't think my past self asked you to lock me in..."

"I didn't lock you in!" she protested, looking up from the floor to glare at him. "Even if you don't like apples you can still just step over them. There's not even a lock on this door!"

"Actually there is," the Doctor pointed out, showing her the simple lock on the knob. "It's not the most secure lock in the world, but it will keep the average curious passerby out if that's what we, or the TARDIS, desire. Now, if you could please repeat what you said? I didn't quite catch that, can't imagine why..."

Lyssa sighed, giving in. "Fine. But for the record, you asked me to. This was when Ten and I were waiting in the distance while you were talking to the Atrellians back on the planet. He... told me that after you picked me up and dropped off Donna, you were going to run. And that I shouldn't let you, because it wasn't going to help anything."

He stiffened, suddenly avoiding her gaze whereas previously he had been seeking it out.

"Yeah. That's... why I didn't want to tell you," she said softly, looking down. "Because I knew it would hurt you." The Doctor didn't say anything, and she bit her lip, regret making her stomach churn. They'd been having a decent day, and now it might have been spoiled. "I'm not saying to hold it against you or anything, because I don't, that's just what he said," she said hastily, reaching for the doorknob. "We can go."

A hand reached out and held hers, gripping it gently before she could turn the knob.

"Doctor?" she asked uncertainly, turning to look at him.

His eyes were glassy, his voice a whisper on the wind. "He was right, you know."

"Right about what?" she frowned.

"When he said I would run." His hand curled around hers, gently turning it to reveal the forming bruises Maken had left in his desperate attempt to escape the bush. "He knew I would feel guilty about you getting hurt under my watch, by someone who looked like me, and he knew that I would run, because that's what he would do."

"And I did." His voice became so faint she had to strain to hear it. "I ran. You'd just come from a traumatic experience, and I ran from you."

Lyssa watched him somberly. This was something that she couldn't just erase by soothing words, nor by telling him that he didn't do this. Because he was right. He _had_ done this.

But she didn't blame him for it.

"And..." His hand started to shake around hers, a single tear falling from his wet lashes and staining his face. "I am so sorry that I failed you. That I couldn't protect you from Maken. That I left you when you were hurting."

Lyssa swallowed down her desire to assure him that it wasn't his fault. Right now, that wouldn't help. What he needed was...

"I forgive you."

His eyes snapped to hers. "What?" he asked hoarsely.

"I forgive you," she told him earnestly, willing him to see the truth in her gaze. "For all of it."

"But - but how could you forgive all of that?" he demanded. "After all the ways I failed you -"

"Because of all the ways you didn't," she interrupted him gently, but firmly. "Because you came for me as soon as you could, and did everything you could to protect me from Maken and keep me safe. Because you came for me when I called you. Because you care for me in a way that no one else ever has, and -" she hesitated before becoming resolute. "Because I care for you in a way that I've never cared about anyone else, and I'm not going to let a few mistakes drive a wedge between us."

One second he was staring at her, shocked, and the next she was being crushed into a still slightly damp tweed coat, her feet dangling off the ground. She eeped, hands flailing about for a minute before she settled, returning the embrace with as much comfort as she could put into it. She felt a few drops of something wet fall on her forehead, and closed her eyes, heart aching for the pain she could feel in them.

"I know I said your heart never changes, but please, for my own sake, never change," he muttered, clutching her desperately to him.

She laughed wetly, a few tears of her own slipping out. "I promise to try my best if you promise to try not to blame yourself for this. I forgave you, which means you can't feel guilty anymore or that means my forgiveness means nothing."

"Sneaky woman. I approve," he grinned after a short pause, eyes still shining suspiciously bright, setting her down but twining his fingers into hers. He reached down and swung the picnic basket onto his other arms, settling it into the crook of his elbow and opening the door with his free hand. "Now, my past self, on the other hand, is a manipulative, interfering, s-"

"Doctor, he's you!" Lyssa laughed, staring up at him incredulously.

He winked at her. "I know."

She shook her head, laughing. "I don't know who it was that thought that Time Lords were aloof, mysterious creatures who never cracked a smile, let alone a joke, but they clearly never met you."

"Hey, I was aloof!" he protested. "You should have seen my first self. Very aloof. Very stern, very solemn. Didn't know how to take a joke. Or make one, come to think of it," he added thoughtfully. "At least, not at first." He shook his head. "But I'm getting distracted. I'm still wondering, why on earth did you put apples in front of the door?"

Lyssa laughed nervously, her free hand fidgeting with the ends of her hair. "Because your tenth self told me you would run, and asked me not to let you."

He stared at her. "Let me get this straight. Your battle plan to keep me from running away was _apples_?"

"Not - not exactly," she stammered, not meeting his gaze. "I knew you didn't like apples, so I figured it'd make a nice barrier because you wouldn't really want anything to do with them. I didn't want to _actually_ trap you anywhere, because that wouldn't be very nice, so if you really wanted to get away, you could just knock them to the side or something."

"Okay, but what would you have done if I _had_ tried to leave?" he asked slowly, still staring at her.

She shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I figured that seeing a stack of apples in front of the door would at least make you stop and stare, which would give me enough time to wrap myself around your leg and beg you not to go."

He choked. " _That_ was your plan?"

She shrugged, feigning a nonchalance she didn't feel. "Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. You wouldn't want to hurt me by shaking me off, and..." She stopped, cheeks heating up and eyes darting to the side. "Well, I figured I'd make the rest of it up as I went."

The Doctor shook his head, eyes crinkling up at the corners as he looked at her. "I can't believe I ever thought you were the mature one in this relationship."

She scoffed. "I think the only mature one in this relationship is the TARDIS. And hey, it worked, didn't it?"

He chewed on his lip for a moment before answering. "Well, if you use the term 'worked' very loosely, I suppose you could say that."

"Hey!"

He dodged her arm, snickering. The basket on his other side swung, banging into the wall with a smack. They both stopped to stare at it, remembering the easily-bruised fruit inside. "Oops."

"I should probably take those back to the kitchen and then get ready for bed. And I suppose you have work you need to get back to," Lyssa said reluctantly, not wanting their time together to end, already afraid of what the night would bring.

He looked down at her for a minute, working something out in his head before shrugging nonchalantly. "Nothing that can't wait. We still have to finish our hot chocolate, you know. We never actually got to drink any of it." He paused, sounding his next words out carefully. "How would you feel about going to the library and reading a bit before bed?"

"Honestly?" She tilted her head, grateful for any chance to put off going to bed. "That sounds like a great idea."

He smiled.

xXx

It only took a few minutes for them both to be ready. After putting away the apples and blankets, they had reluctantly parted to get ready for the night. Lyssa had changed quickly into a pair of long-sleeved pajamas, wincing when she saw the growing purple marks on her arms. It was bad enough that the Doctor was constantly faced with the ugly, massive bruise on her face. She wasn't going to add yet another constant reminder of his supposed guilt.

She tucked her hair back into a loose braid, absently noting that her hair was getting long - it was past her shoulder blades now; she should probably trim it soon, as it'd been over a year since she'd done it last. She let out a yawn, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes afterwards. Now that she was getting ready for bed, she was starting to feel the effects of the day - bone weary from repeated adrenaline-fueled running and fights.

A knock on the door drew her out of her thoughts, and she hastened to open it, slipping on a pair of slippers and almost tripping over herself on the way. The Doctor stood there with a book in one hand, and the other held out for her to take. He'd changed into a dry pair of pants and a button down shirt, but had shed his coat and suspenders.

"I see you still have the bow tie," Lyssa teased as she took his hand and they set off for the library.

"Well, naturally," he nodded. "How else would you know who I was?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the delicate eyebrows? Maybe the distinct preference for fish fingers and custard?"

He clicked his tongue and scoffed in mock offense. "You know, I was thinking while I was waiting for you to get ready."

"... And?" she asked warily.

"And I realized that it's actually a good thing you're so short!" he exclaimed happily.

She blinked at him slowly. "Come again?"

Seeming to realize he was on dangerous ground, he hastened to add, "Not that I ever thought it was a bad thing! It's just that if you had been the height of a normal person, when Maken tried to tackle you into the dirt, he would have succeeded! Your lack of height actually saved your life!"

"... Doctor?"

"Yes, Lyssa?"

"That's a very nice observation, but I don't think it's coming any closer to saving you."

"You're probably right. Shutting up now."

They continued the rest of the way to the library in a companionable silence, Lyssa fighting back yawns on the way. When they got there, they found that the TARDIS had already set it up for them; several soft blankets placed on the couch in front of the fireplace, where a fire burned merrily. Their two thermoses of hot chocolate sat on the end table next to the couch, and the lights were dimmed to a soft light.

The Doctor sat down first on the end of the couch, extending the footrest and stretching out under one of the blankets before gesturing for her to sit down next to him. Too tired to care at this point, she did so without hesitation, wrapping herself up in another blanket and curling into his side under his arm, letting him toss the other blanket over her as well.

"What book did you pick out?" she asked through a yawn, taking the hot chocolate the Doctor offered her with gratitude and sipping from it. It was still deliciously warm, and sent tendrils of heat through her, leaving her utterly relaxed and blinking heavily.

The Doctor smiled. "A classic. I think you'll know it when you hear it."

"Cool. Fire when ready, Cap'n," she mumbled sleepily.

The fire dancing a few feet away seemed to hypnotize her with its swirling flames and flickering light, each blink becoming slower than the last as the Doctor settled into his seat, opening the book and beginning to read. His voice was soft, adding enough inflection to give life to the scene and the characters, but not enough energy to keep her awake and focused. It seemed to wrap around her like another blanket as he read, enveloping her in comfort and security.

" _'The year that Buttercup was born, the most beautiful woman in the world was a French scullery maid named Annette. Annette worked in Paris for the Duke and Duchess de Guiche, and it did not escape the Duke's notice that someone extraordinary was polishing the pewter. The Duke's notice did not escape the notice of the Duchess either, who was not very beautiful but plenty smart. The Duchess set about studying Annette and shortly found her adversary's tragic flaw._

 _"'Chocolate."_

"Hey, that sounds like me. If you made a trap and put chocolate in front of it, I'd probably go inside," Lyssa yawned, forcing her eyes to open after each heavy blink.

The Doctor grinned, but didn't otherwise deign to notice her comment.

" _'Armed now, the Duchess set to work. The Palace de Guiche turned into a candy castle. There were piles of chocolate-covered mints in the drawing rooms, baskets of chocolate-covered nougats in the parlors. Annette never had a chance. Inside a season, she went from delicate to whopping, and the Duke never glanced in her direction without sad bewilderment clouding his eyes.'"_

"Good. Serves him right, the cheater." She gave up on trying to hold her eyes open, letting them stay shut.

The Doctor laughed, rubbing her arm soothingly with his hand. "Are you falling asleep?" he teased her gently.

"No," she grumbled sleepily, opening one eye to glare at him blearily, only to shut it again when she saw him smiling at her with open affection. "I'm listening with my eyes shut. It's a thing."

His arm around her shook slightly, but he kept reading with only the slightest hint of laughter in his voice.

" _'Buttercup, at fifteen, knew none of this. She was not the most beautiful woman in the world, barely in the top twenty, and that primarily on potential, certainly not on any particular care she took of herself. She hated to wash her face, she loathed the area behind her ears, she was sick of combing her hair. What she liked to do was to ride her horse and taunt the farm boy._

 _"'The horse's name was 'Horse' (Buttercup was never long on imagination) and it came when she called it. And it did what she told it. The farm boy did what she told him too. Actually, he was more a young man now, but he had been a farm boy when, orphaned, he had come to work for her father, and Buttercup referred to him that way still._

 _"Farm Boy, fetch me this"; "Get me that, Farm Boy; quickly, lazy thing; trot now or I'll tell Father."_

Lyssa, starting to doze off, jerked awake in the way one does when they're only slightly asleep. She noticed that he'd stopped reading, and shifted so that she sat more comfortably against him. "Keep reading, please," she requested softly, barely half awake. "I like your voice. It makes me feel safe."

He wrapped his arm more securely around her, tucking her into him.

 _"'"As you wish." That was all he ever answered. "As you wish"...'_ "

xXx

"Oh, by the way, I think there's an evil alien entity out there in another universe who's trying to abduct me for evil experimentation," Lyssa remarked casually the next morning, setting her cup of tea on the kitchen table.

The Doctor almost spat out his tea, choking on it and jerking the cup in his hand. "Come again?" he rasped.

Lyssa grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry. I just - so I was sleeping last night, yeah? Had this weird dream that reminded me of what happened back when we were on the planet. While I was - uh -" she stammered to a stop, unwilling to bring up the fact that Maken had knocked her out, even if the Doctor already suspected or knew it.

"While I was being held prisoner, I had a vision. There was a lady there. She told me that in another universe, there was a good alien called the Creator, who had lots of powers, and a whole lot of bad ones. And apparently the bad guys want to use us both to get to our powers and combine them."

She paused. "Oh, and there's a big bad guy here who's been trapped and is hoping to use that to help him escape his prison. She called him the Darkness, or something?" she added thoughtfully, before a shattering sound caught her attention. "Doctor?"

He'd gone completely white, the cup falling from nerveless fingers to shatter to pieces on the floor.

"Doctor?"

He jumped, wide eyes falling on her before he flinched again, erupting from his seat and jerking her from hers, tugging her out of the kitchen and running down the hallways.

"Doctor, where are we going?" she demanded breathlessly, struggling to keep up with his pace. "I've never seen you this worried. What's going on?"

He stopped mid-run and spun to face her, catching her when she stumbled into him, eyes wild and desperate. "If she's gotten involved, and she's warning you about him, then this is serious! Life-threateningly serious, on a multi-universal scale. And _you're_ the target!"

Her heart dropped. "What do we do?"

He swallowed hard. "I can scan you for any abnormalities, any place you might not be protected, any place you could be tracked or traced. Cut you off from as much as possible. And then... and then we wait. And we pray."

She stared at him, tears of fear filling her eyes. "There's really nothing we can do?"

He shook his head, his own eyes shining brightly. "You're too young. And so am I. Neither of us are ready. If we are to survive this, we are going to need outside help."

The world around Lyssa began to shake. She thought she was about to faint, until she saw the Doctor stumble as well, and realized that the whole TARDIS was shaking, its lights flashing in warning.

"No!" the Doctor cried desperately, pulling her close to him and staggering down the hallway towards the console room. "It's too soon! Please! We're not ready yet!"

Lyssa clung to him, terrified. She'd never seen the Doctor so... desperate.

So afraid.

And then the shaking stopped, and all was still.

The Doctor swallowed hard, stepping carefully into the console room and checking the instrument panel.

"We've landed," he said quietly.

"Where?" Lyssa breathed, her words heavy in the oppressive silence.

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know. Whatever pulled us here, wherever here is - the TARDIS doesn't recognize it. But I do know this - we're in another universe."

Lyssa gasped, glancing around at the lights. "But - the TARDIS is still alive! I thought she died the last time that happened! How is this possible?"

He shook his head again. "I don't know," he repeated gravely. "But whatever pulled us here is keeping her alive. It's got a connection with her, and she's using that to sustain herself. Not completely, because she's still separated from our universe, but enough that she can maintain atmosphere and scans, the general bits like that."

"So... what do we do?" she asked nervously.

A door creaked behind them, and they both jumped, spinning around to see the TARDIS' doors wide open, revealing a fairly normal-looking ground outside.

"I think we're supposed to go out," he whispered. "Breathable atmosphere, fairly similar to Earth's. We should be fine. Especially if the TARDIS is the one telling us to go out."

"Unless she's been hijacked again," Lyssa muttered.

The Doctor sighed, wrapping his hand securely around hers and setting off reluctantly for the door. "You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" he asked wearily.

"Sorry."

"Just... stay close, all right? Stay where I can see you, please," he whispered under his breath, almost begging.

She nodded, swallowing hard. "I will, I promise."

Stopping just short of the exit, they both took a deep breath. "Are you ready?" he asked quietly.

"No. Are you?" she returned in the same tone.

"No. Let's go."

As one, they stepped out of the TARDIS, the doors swinging shut behind them. They glanced at each other, knowing without speaking that the doors would be locked if they tried. They turned away from the TARDIS, their hearts a little heavier.

And stopped short, eyes going wide and hearts skipping a beat.

"I suppose this is what we were supposed to see," the Doctor murmured, eyes fixed on something in the distance.

Lyssa nodded. "Time to go."

And hand in hand, they stepped forward together.

* * *

 **A/N: Is this the part where I tell you guys I won't be able to update for another four years? *dodges rusty bucket***

 **Kidding! This is actually the part where I tell you I hope to be able to update one week from today instead of two! (We'll see if I can do it lol)**

 **Anyways, boring chapter, I know, sorry. Just a filler, passing the time, etc, etc. What can you do?**

 **Ooh, I know! To make it better, I'll give you guys a possible scene from a _way_ far off chapter! No context because spoilers!**

 **xXx**

 ** _He advanced on her, a dangerous gleam in his eyes._**

 ** _Lyssa stared up at him, knowing she couldn't escape, her heart beating so loud she was sure everyone could hear it. She licked her lips nervously. "What do you want?" she asked breathlessly._**

 ** _His lips curled up into a smirk._**

 ** _And she knew what he was going to say before he said it._**

 ** _xXx_**

 **Anyways, let me know if you think I should include it or not. ;) (and what you think is going on, lol. I want to know who gets the closest)**

 **Thank you all so much for following and commenting and voting, your support has been tremendous!**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :D**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa.**

 **More Specific Disclaimer: I don't own The Princess Bride, all rights belong to William Goldman.**


	77. Chapter 77 - Meet and Greet

"So... what do you suppose we do from here?" the Doctor asked slowly, staring at the bright blue police box in front of them.

"Well, speaking from my overall experience with strange doors, I suggest we knock," Lyssa quipped, eyeing him mischievously.

"Well, generally, yes, that is what you do," he retorted in exasperation. "But this isn't just any door, Lyssa, it's a TARDIS. _My_ TARDIS. In another universe!"

"Yeah? And?"

He stared at her. "Lyssa, the Time Lords have never found another universe with Time Lords in it in all their millennia of exploration. This isn't just a parallel universe where stoplights are blue or Rose Tyler's dad is a millionaire. This is a completely different universe where no Time Lord has ever been. Whatever is inside this box is outside of all Time Lord knowledge."

"Or, you know, it's you," she pointed out flatly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Blue police box? That doesn't sound familiar at all? Your TARDIS led us here."

"You're not getting it, Lyssa," he said in frustration, keeping a wary eye on the box. "Even if it is another version of me in there, which is virtually impossible; it's a completely different me, with completely different experiences. He might as well not even be me! He's not going to know you, or the Time War, or anything else that I've experienced! He might even be like the Master! We could be walking right into his trap!"

"Tirdis told me that there are universes out there so vastly different that the Time Lords couldn't access them even at the height of their power," Lyssa informed him. "And that some of those universes - including this one, presumably - have extremely powerful entities in them. She also told me that she'd be sending me an ally or two to help us when we face the bad guys. Which is who I think this is." She jerked her head at the blue box.

"Anyways, according to her, the big bad dude in our universe, while still physically trapped, was able to team up with some bad guys in this universe. Apparently they hope to use me and this Creator person to create a weapon capable of crumbling reality. You know, something world-ending like that. The usual."

The Doctor stiffened, blanching at her words. He turned away from her suddenly, spitting a steady stream of unhappy words under his breath in a language she could only assume was Gallifreyan as he paced angrily across the sand. His hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles were white, he spun around to face her before he got more than a few yards away.

Striding up to her until he was inches away, he snapped, "Fine. We go, find out who's in this TARDIS, figure out how to stop them, and we leave. But I'm not letting you leave my sight while we're here. I'm not losing you. Not like this. Not again."

"Again?" she frowned, not willing to get angry at him yet - not now, when she could see the bitter fear hiding in his eyes. "Doctor, what's going on?"

He glared at the blue box in front of them. "You have a constant, open connection to the entirety of the Time Vortex. I can name a few thousand species who'd _love_ to take advantage of that if they knew about it off the top of my head."

"Like the Daleks," Lyssa whispered, eyes widening in realization as she remembered how they had tried to use her connection to rebuild their ship and revive their species. No wonder he was so upset. The Daleks had taken her before, and tried to use her to bring back their entire species. They had almost killed her before the TARDIS had saved her.

He jerked his head in a sharp nod. "Exactly like the Daleks. So be careful, and don't tell anyone about your abilities unless you absolutely trust them."

She nodded, not willing to fight him on this while he was so upset. She still thought he was being overprotective - understandably so, but still - but she would go along with it for now. "All right. I'll follow your lead," she promised, sticking out her hand in a silent offer of support.

He took it, squeezing it gently in gratitude. Then he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Nobody answered.

"You know, if you're going to call us to our deaths, the least you could do is be punctual about it," the Doctor grumbled. "Looks like no one's home, might as well turn around and leave."

Lyssa whacked him on the arm. "Don't assume the worst!" she hissed. "Remember, it could be you!"

"And how do you know that's not what I'm afraid of?" he retorted.

She squared her shoulders. "The universe where there's an evil Doctor is a universe that doesn't exist - because it's _not possible_ ," she added before he could somehow claim responsibility for it. "Besides, look on the bright side - maybe you're ginger in this universe."

He brightened at the possibility, touching his brown hair with hope in his eyes.

She grinned, and, while he was distracted, rapped on the door again.

"Lyssa!" he spun on her.

She blinked at him innocently. "Yes, Doctor?"

A muffled voice came from behind the door, and they both froze.

"Better answer them," Lyssa hissed, feeling a sudden surge of nerves.

"You knocked, you answer them!" he retorted.

"You knocked first!"

" _Well, I'm opening the door now, don't shoot or anything,_ " a female voice said loudly from behind the door, sounding faintly Scottish . There was a muffled shout of protest, and then the door swung open.

A tall, red-headed woman stood there in floral pajamas, a gold bangle with a green gem on her wrist, and anticipation on her face. A wide grin spread on her face when she saw them, and she turned slightly to face another Eleventh Doctor, who looked far more wary as he came to stand beside her.

"It worked!" she whispered in excitement, grinning at her Doctor.

"Yes, great, it worked. What worked, exactly?" Lyssa's Doctor said, staring at his clone with narrowed eyes.

"Well, I guess we crossed universes, right?" the woman asked.

The clone looked the Doctor up and down with a frown, then examined his companion. "I don't know. Let's step outside and find out, shall we?"

"Wait, what do you mean, crossed universes?" Lyssa interrupted the two, shrinking in on herself when the two spun to face her. "I thought _we_ crossed to a different universe," she whispered to her Doctor before raising her voice again. "Did you have something to do with this? Because honestly, I've had a really rough couple of days, and I was just trying to relax. Now the Doctor's all worked up and we're not going to get anything done until this is over with."

The Doctor released her hand and started to step closer to the other TARDIS, but she held up her hand to stop him. "This isn't technically your TARDIS, and we haven't been invited yet," she reminded him in a whisper. He wrinkled his nose but acquiesced.

The woman smirked. "Well, what do you know of Eternals and Chronovores? Oh, and also that prophecy that states that we're to fight some big bad guy to save the universe?"

The Doctor stiffened. "No, nope, no, no, Lyssa is not getting involved in Eternals and Chronovores, much less fighting a 'big bad guy' as you've put it. We've got enough of that to deal with on our own. Come on, Lyssa, we're leaving. We can save the universe some other time." He grabbed her hand and spun to leave, but she dug her heels into the sand, examining the woman closely.

"Do I know you? I feel like I know you somehow," she muttered. Tirdis had showed her a white-haired woman, but there was something about this woman that seemed familiar.

The older woman shrugged. "Kinda. Remember when you looked in that mirror and it was another person looking back at you? White hair, blue eyes? Yeah, that was me. Except I've regenerated since then, obviously..." She lowered her voice, and in a taunting whisper said, "I think the Doctor's jealous that I'm ginger and he's not."

"No, I'm not!" the Doctor protested at the same time as the other, wrinkling their noses in unison. "Okay, that was creepy," they said again in unison. "Never do that again. Oi! Stop that!"

"Guys! Seriously!" the woman exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "It's like dealing with children, I swear," she told Lyssa as an aside.

Lyssa smiled hesitantly. She liked this woman. "Tell me about it. So - you saw me in a vision, too, then? 'Cause I saw that other woman in the middle of a snowy field. But now you've... regenerated?"

"That's right," the woman nodded, rubbing her ribs absently. "You look the same, though, so it must not have been that long ago for you."

"Eh, give or take two days," she muttered, before narrowing her eyes at the other woman in consideration. "But seriously, what is the deal with this prophecy? And Doctor, don't tell me I'm not doing it," she raised her voice when she saw the Doctor open his mouth to interrupt. "Because if it was so important that she needed to pull me across to another universe to hear about it, then I'm at least gonna hear about it. Plus, we kind of don't have a choice."

"Wow, you're good," the redhead complimented her as the Doctor subsided with a grumble. She sobered suddenly. "You're going to need it soon. We both are."

"Tell me about it," Lyssa grumbled. "If the Doctor's reactions are any indication, there are multiple universes at stake."

"Actually," the woman drew a deep breath. " _Every_ universe is at stake."

"Because of our abilities, right?" Lyssa asked quietly, ignoring the way both Doctors were carefully watching the both of them. "You're the Creator, aren't you? You're the one they're looking for."

"I go by Vina, actually," the woman - Vina - corrected her. "And I'm not the one they're looking for. At least, not the only one. _We_ are." She waved a hand at a nearby seat. "You may want to sit down for this."

Lyssa glanced at her Doctor before hesitantly stepping into the alternate TARDIS - which looked the same as theirs - and taking a seat on the cushions. He sat down close beside her, leaving barely an inch between them and clutching her hand in his.

Vina opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated, putting a hand to her head and wincing. "Doctor, what's going on?" she muttered, her words starting to slur. The other Doctor leapt up beside her, placing his arm around her waist and bending down to study her eyes.

Lyssa jerked forward, intending to leap up and offer her help as well, only to falter when the room began to swim around her. Her Doctor caught her as she fell back into the seat, wrapping one arm around her and using his other hand to check her forehead.

"Doctor, I don't feel so good either," she muttered, swaying and leaning into his touch, eyes falling shut of their own accord. "Ev'rythin's... dzy..."

"Lyssa, it'll be all right. Just focus on my voice," the Doctor instructed her urgently. "Whatever's going on, you're going to be fine. I'm right here with you, and I'm not going to leave you. You're going to be fine..."

The last thing she heard was his voice calling her name.

xXx

Lyssa woke up with a gasp, feeling warm heat hitting her face. She opened her eyes to find herself sitting in some sort of library or den with dark undertones. She - and Vina - were sitting in wicker chairs, with two empty ones opposite them, and -

She was in different clothes. Gone were the comfy jeans and sweater. In their place, she was wearing classy black pants and a sky blue turtleneck. Vina had been changed as well, with similar pants and a wine red turtleneck.

Lifting a hand to her neck, Lyssa was glad to find out that at least her necklace was still there, and she clutched the little snowflake securely, grateful to have at least one piece of comfort with her.

Whatever - or whoever - had brought them here, was obviously extremely powerful if they were able to reach them inside a TARDIS.

"Mother, I assume that you're here somewhere," Vina called out loftily.

Lyssa flinched at the sudden noise, warily turning to face the other woman - who apparently knew what was going on?

A tall woman with silver eyes appeared in one of the chairs, long blonde hair spilling over her scarlet dress and down into her lap. She looked beautiful, but it was a harsh beauty - cold, and impersonal.

She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at Vina as she lounged in her chair. "Well. I didn't expect you would look like that," she muttered, lifting a perfectly-manicured fingernail to her lip as she examined the two of them with idle curiosity.

Lyssa flinched, hearing some of her own mother in the sentence.

Vina, however, appeared completely unmoved, raising an eyebrow of her own. "I'd like to say the same, but I can't. You look _exactly_ how I expected you to look," she remarked dryly.

"Yeah, um, not to interrupt or anything, I'm glad you two know each other, but... what in the world is going on?" Lyssa sputtered. "Who is that lady?" she waved a hand at the elegant blonde in the room. "And how did we get here?"

Vina crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her seat nonchalantly. "Good question. Care to explain, Mother?"

"Wait - that's your mother?" Lyssa exclaimed, scrutinizing the two for similarities - although Vina had mentioned regeneration earlier, so she probably wouldn't find any. The silver hair did look familiar to what she'd seen in the vision, so there was that.

"Yeah. I've never actually seen her in person before," Vina remarked casually. "How are you taking this form? I thought you couldn't maintain a physical form because of our enemies or whatever? Or was that just another excuse not to visit?"

The woman regarded her - daughter? - with a frown. "You sound like a teenager, Kalosyni; it would be best to act your age."

Yeah, she definitely sounded like Lyssa's mother now. She shrunk back in her chair

"If that's the case, then I better get to turning into a pile of dust," Vina snarked. "How old am I, Mama? Five thousand years? Ten?"

The woman sucked in a breath through her teeth but gave no other reaction. "I'm able to take an astrophysical projection at this time because I have help from another," she said coldly before fixing a smile on her face and turning to Lyssa. "Lyssa, dear, I thought she would bring you comfort, and ease any distrust you may have of myself and my daughter."

"Who...?"

One moment there was nothing, and the next there was a fizzling pop and a burst of energy that made her hair stand on end. Opening her eyes cautiously, her eyes fell on the chair next to the woman. Previously empty, it now held a gorgeous woman with a warm smile on her face, rich chestnut curls tumbling down from underneath her golden crown.

"Tirdis!" Lyssa exclaimed, grateful to see a familiar face and leaping up to take her hand, only to have her fingers go straight through. She flinched back, startled.

Tirdis smiled at her apologetically. "It's an astrophysical projection, Lyssa. I'm not actually here."

"Quite so," the other woman sniffed. "For you to physically take form outside of the greatest of need - and in another universe at that - would be far too reckless even for you."

Tirdis' eyes gleamed. "And you'd know all about being reckless, wouldn't you, Elektra?" She gracefully adjusted her deep blue dress - which sparkled as if filled with stars - to drape elegantly across her knees as she reclined, and ever so casually turned her chair so that it faced away from Elektra, and more towards the two girls.

Elektra's face tightened, but focused her gaze on Lyssa - who was growing steadily more uncomfortable as the tension grew between the two ethereal beings. "Lyssa, please, take a seat," she said, gesturing to her chair. "We have some things to discuss with you both."

With a hesitant glance at Tirdis - who nodded - Lyssa reluctantly took her seat, sneaking a peak at Vina, who'd leaned forward in her chair in anticipation. She looked like a soldier awaiting orders from her general, and for a moment, Lyssa felt her heart clench in her chest, wishing she'd just listened to the Doctor and gone home.

But the Doctor was gone, and her only chance at going home now lay in listening to the two woman who sat across from her.

And then Elektra started to speak, and all thoughts of going home left her.

"I suppose introductions are in order first. My name is Elektra, and I am an Eternal. My people exist outside of time and space, in the realm of Eternity. This," she waved a hand lightly at Tirdis without looking at her, "is Tirdis. She is one of the last of her kind, and," her face tightened, "one of our most powerful allies. If I exist outside of time, she is a creature of time, and its most powerful and faithful guardian, though she is bound to its rules. But I digress.

"The Black Guardian has taken the White Guardian, and with her incapacitated, the Black Guardian and his small, but growing, army of Chronovores were able to take control of Ulto-451, a trading and merchant galaxy for cargo ships. They've stopped food supply to multiple planets in that star system, and its people are starving. They've begun drafting civilians from any planets they can, and although their strength is limited by our forces pushing back, they are still gathering much strength now that the White Guardian is in chains."

An oppressive silence filled the room, Vina looking like she'd been punched in the stomach. She obviously recognized the names, but...

"Um, excuse me, but... who's the White Guardian, again?" Lyssa asked timidly, afraid to break the silence, but completely in the dark. "And the... Black Guardian? And what's a Chronovore?"

"I can see the Doctor doesn't keep you updated on Universal Studies," Vina sighed, rolling her eyes with fond amusement. "But then again, you _are_ traveling with Eleven..."

"Hey! What's so wrong about traveling with Eleven?" Lyssa snapped defensively. "He doesn't need to tell me about any of those guys because they're not a problem where we come from!" She halted, cheeks reddening as she realized that she might have been a bit too hasty rushing to the Doctor's defense, especially when Vina had clearly been teasing. "Er... sorry. It's been a long couple of days," she apologized weakly.

But Vina waved off her apology easily, smirking about something. "Don't worry about it. It's not important. The Black Guardian and the White Guardian are two parts of the six part group known as the Guardians of Time. The Black Guardian is the harbinger of chaos and disorder across the Universes; he's kept only in check by the White Guardian, who is the beholder of light and order."

She glanced at Lyssa to make sure she was keeping up before continuing. "Chronovores... they're a bit different. My father is a Chronovore, and Elektra over there, she's an Eternal. Chronovores are literally what the name says - they're time eaters. They usually stay within the Six-Fold Realm, but if they're coming out, it means something big is happening. There must be a hole or something. Something big that's drawing them in. Something with a whole lot of time energy for them to consume." She looked at the two woman across from her expectantly, but they only shook their heads regretfully.

"We don't know what's drawing them out," Elektra admitted. "We know only that they must be stopped before they unravel the delicate spool of time."

Tirdis rolled her eyes. "Stop talking in riddles," she muttered, tapping her fingernails silently on the armrest of her chair. "The Chronovores were greatly weakened by the Time War and the damage it caused. As a result, they withdrew into their own realm, allowing alternate universes and timelines to exist because they were no longer around to feed on them. It's possible that they hope to use the time energy to restore their power, although the Black Guardian must have his own plans for it."

"Well, obviously," Elektra muttered, rolling her eyes.

Lyssa ignored the two woman, deep in thought. A hole that contained so much time energy it drew creatures from another dimension - or whatever the Six-Fold Realm was.

An image immediately came to mind, and she bit her lip. If that's what this was...

"Are you all right?" Vina turned to her in concern. "You look a little pale. If this is too much for you..."

Lyssa shook her head. "The - the hole in the universes, or whatever? I think I know what it is. I think it's the Crack."

"I'm sorry?" Elektra said immediately, raising her eyebrows in interest. "The Crack? What crack?"

"Lyssa, what do you mean?" Vina asked, leaning forward intently until their knees were almost touching.

"So, don't ask me how I know this," Lyssa started nervously, "but I know some things about the Doctor and his timeline, at least how it goes in my Universe. Basically, there's a giant crack in the universe - a split in the skin of time and space, he called it - and it releases a huge amount of time energy. Rory, one of his companions -"

"Oh, I know who Rory is. We have one too," Vina interrupted.

Lyssa nodded. "Yeah, Rory got eaten by the crack and Amy forgot him, but then the Doctor did this thing with the Pandorica and he closed the crack and reset the Universe. I think that's part of the reason Rose was able to jump the gaps between universes. The Void, the Crack, all of that... What if that's what's attracting these guys?"

A tense silence filled the room, and Lyssa bit her lip, not missing the way Elektra and Tirdis exchanged worried glances.

Elektra finally broke the silence. "The general timeline of events seems to be the same, but I fear there are crucial differences, and we must find those differences before our enemy does, lest he be able to use them for his own purposes. Particularly the events involving this Crack you speak of. For something so powerful to be hidden from my sight for so long means that it may be much worse than what you experienced in yours. If that is the case, Lyssa, then we have our work cut out for us. But for now, you all must go."

"What? But we have to stay and talk about this!" Vina protested immediately. "You literally just told us the Black Guardian has captured the White Guardian and is endangering innocent lives! How are we supposed to go back to our normal lives?"

"Because it may be your last chance to live a normal life," Tirdis said gravely. "Neither Elektra nor I are meant to interact with the physical world in our true forms for long, and to do so could bear grave consequences. But sacrifice may be required of us all if we wish to succeed. We have much to do if you are both to survive this encounter."

"Oh. Gee, thanks. That's not foreboding at all," Lyssa grumbled, rubbing the goosebumps popping up on her arms. "Is there anything we need to do?"

"Well, my daughter needs to leave, if she hopes to live _to_ the upcoming battle," Elektra remarked dryly.

"What?" Vina frowned. "Why especially me? Aren't we both in danger?"

"Well, yes, but yours is immediate. Look at your bracelet," Elektra informed her.

Vina glanced down at her bracelet, where her formerly green gem was now flashing a dull yellow. "Oh," she muttered, shoulders sagging.

"Quite," Elektra agreed. "Now, Tirdis and I will leave you each with a parting gift. They are "universe hoppers," if you will. Lyssa, yours is a charm bracelet, and Vina, yours is a pendant. They have been coded to your biological signature, so they cannot be pressed by another - or by accident. If one of you is in danger - captured, injured, dying, anything at all - you need only to press the button once. It will open up a holographic com-call from which you may speak to one another and seek aid.

"If you need the other's presence, if the enemy has captured you and if it is time to fight, then you must hold it down and you will instantly have the other transported to your location. But be careful, you mustn't use it if you don't have to. To travel in time without a capsule is dangerous. To travel across universes _and_ time without one..." She shook her head grimly. "You would likely not survive the trip more than once."

She snapped her fingers, and Lyssa looked down in surprise as a slight weight appeared on her left arm. Pulling back her sleeve, she found a delicate silver bracelet now adorned her wrist with a blue charm in the center of it. Vina appeared to have been given a similar charm on a necklace, fingering her jewel with a curious expression.

When she looked back up, the two woman were gone, and they were back in the TARDIS, although their new jewelry and outfits remained. The two Doctors were in the middle of a conversation, hands waving wildly about in the air and identical looks of worry on their faces.

Neither of them noticed the appearance of the two girls, too intent on arguing about how to find them again.

"So, uh... do you think we should tell them we're back" Lyssa whispered to the taller woman, eyeing the two Time Lords.

Vina considered the arguing pair before shaking her head with a grin. "Nah. It's fun to see them suffer."

"Mm. Normally I'd agree with you, but my Doctor and I've just gone through some pretty bad days," Lyssa said softly, noticing the strain present in her Doctor's face. "And yours doesn't look that much better off."

"All right, fine," Vina gave in easily. "I do want to say goodbye before I have to go." She raised her voice. "Hey guys, have either of you happened to see a Time Lord around here? He's got some floppy hair, bit of a chin. Ugly bow tie. You know, the usual bad dress sense?"

"Bow ties are cool," both Doctors protested automatically to the other, before both of them froze, whipping their heads around to face the two girls.

Lyssa waved, grinning sheepishly. "Hello!"

Both girls were swept up into tight hugs in the blink of an eye, Lyssa gladly returning the hug. Over his shoulder, she could see Vina leaning into her Doctor's embrace before - okay, was she kissing him now? That - that was definitely not a platonic embrace.

Lyssa turned red and averted her gaze, trying to focus on the comfort the hug brought her. When the other couple parted, she pulled back from the Doctor - who slung his arms over her shoulders instead, and watched with a smile as Vina whispered something to her Doctor.

Taking a deep breath, Vina turned to them with a smile on her face and stuck out a hand. "Guess we're a team now, huh?"

"Seems like it," Lyssa smirked, bypassing the handshake and going straight for the hug. Vina flailed a bit awkwardly before briefly returning the friendly embrace and quickly stepping away.

"Not so much a hugger this time around, I guess," she apologized awkwardly. "Well. Except for with him," she jerked a thumb back at her Doctor.

Lyssa laughed. "We all have our exceptions. I'm not surprised the Doctor is one of them." She nodded at Vina's bracelet, which was now blinking a dark yellow. "But we can catch up later. Right now I think you better go."

Vina looked down at her bracelet in surprise. "I think you're right. Catch you 'round, snowflake girl. Doctors." She took a look around the room, blew a kiss at her Doctor, and disappeared in a flash of gold.

"That's so cool," Lyssa mumbled. "Is that what I look like?"

"Eh." Her Doctor shrugged. "You more tend to fade, like a sunset. Beautiful and intangible."

She turned bright red, resolving to ignore him and turning to the other Doctor, who was watching the two of them with an inscrutable expression. "I suppose you already know who I am, but proper introductions never go amiss. I'm Lyssa."

The other Doctor grinned, waggling his eyebrows at her Doctor, who narrowed his eyes at him warningly. "Oh, yes, I've heard _all_ about you."

"Only good things I hope," she grinned, ignoring the teasing implications.

"Well, I'm more interested in hearing about what happened while you were gone," her Doctor interrupted. "The TARDIS assured us you were safe, but refused to tell us anything else."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh. You know, the usual. Just met an Eternal, found out the Black Guardian teamed up with a bunch of Chronovores and captured the White Guardian." She held out her arm to display her new bracelet. "Oh, and got a nifty way to travel across universes without a capsule. It might kill me, but, you know, it might not, so it's all good."

"What?" Her Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began to scan her bracelet, staring at the result in consternation. "She's right."

"I think you better tell us what's going on," the other Doctor said seriously.

She nodded, tugging her sleeve back down to cover her bracelet. "I think you're right."

xXx

"Well, I would say it was nice to meet you, but there is one thing that disappoints me," the Doctor commented as they prepared to leave.

"And what's that?" the other Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"You're not ginger!" her Doctor explained as if it were obvious. "It's an entirely different universe, anything is possible, and you're still not ginger! What did you do?"

"Me?" the other exclaimed indignantly. "What about you? Why aren't _you_ ginger? What did _you_ do?"

"Well, it's not as if I can choose!"

"Well, neither can I!"

"Ladies, please, you're both beautiful," Lyssa interrupted, not bothering to hide her snicker when they turned twin looks of indignation on her. "But we really should be going. We all have a lot to do, and our TARDIS doesn't do too well in alternate universes."

"Well, she's right," her Doctor gave in. "As usual. I'll see you around, Doctor."

His double grinned. "Goodbye, Doctor."

Lyssa rolled her eyes, stepping out of the TARDIS. "And I'm gone. Bye, other Doctor. Take care of yourself."

"Oh, he has to take care of himself, but I don't? Do you not care about me?" her Doctor complained, hurrying out of the TARDIS after her and waving in farewell.

Lyssa shrugged. "You have me and Rory and Amy. He doesn't have anyone at the moment."

"That's true," the Doctor remarked, threading his fingers through hers as they trudged across the sand. "But something tells me that he'll keep himself alive, if just so that Vina doesn't kill him when she shows up next. Apparently, she's a bit like you with her ability to jump through the Time Vortex. However, there's a few key differences: she can control where she jumps, as long as it's somewhere around his timeline, and she jumps to escape from some creatures that are hunting her for her abilities."

"Is that what her bracelet was for?" Lyssa asked, wrinkling her nose. "To tell her if they were getting close, or something?"

He nodded. "It reminds me a bit of the Family of Blood, to be honest. Hunting her across time and space. Only she can't escape by pretending to be human for three months." He eyed her consideringly as they walked up to their own TARDIS. "I think you might actually be jumping there soon."

"Really?" she asked in surprise. "That's not a spoiler?"

He shrugged. "It's not as if I'm telling you what happened while we were there." He grinned. "Now _that's_ a spoiler."

Lyssa rolled her eyes, pushing open the door and walking inside. "I'm not even going to ask."

"Probably a good idea," he admitted, stepping up to the console and beginning to input information. "You might want to find something to hold onto. It's going to be a bumpy ride back home."

"With you driving? I expect it by this point," she teased, latching onto the railing. "Beam us back, Scotty!"

"You know, the original phrase was never actually spoken in any of the Star Trek episodes," the Doctor commented, twirling around the console and sending them into the Vortex with a flourish. " _Or_ the movies."

Lyssa staggered as the ship jolted, then fell the other way as it tipped again. "You were right," she said, her words sounding jerky as she tried to keep her balance. "This is really bumpy."

Something fell from the ceiling with a clatter. "Eh, it's probably not important," the Doctor dismissed, stumbling around the console to keep pulling levers. "Almost there, and... got it!" he exclaimed in triumph as the shaking finally stopped. "Home free!"

"I'm assuming 'free' refers to all the things previously put away which have now been shaken loose?" Lyssa remarked dryly, pulling a strand of hair out of her mouth.

"Don't be such a pessimist," the Doctor scolded her, grabbing whatever had fallen from the ceiling and tossing it casually on the jumpseat, where it landed with a thump. "Most of the important things have been secured. They're probably fine. And if not, well... I'm good at patching things together with duct tape."

Lyssa snorted, trying to sort some of the tangles out of her hair. "Well, you have fun with that. I'm gonna go change out of these clothes." She picked at the bottom of her turtleneck. "I don't even know where these came from," she muttered, still a little unnerved.

"Ah, yes, I was wondering where the change of clothes came from," the Doctor popped his head up from underneath the console, already bearing a streak of grease on his cheek. "Feel free to take your time, I'm going to need to take a look at the TARDIS before we go anywhere else. Trips to alternate universes are always hard on her."

Lyssa nodded, waving at him before making her way to her room. She took a few minutes to freshen up, brushing her hair before pulling it back into a loose braid and washing her face, wincing when she brushed up against her bruise, which was now a very lovely mix of purple and green.

She stepped out of her bathroom with a sigh, only to stop with a frown when she saw a knapsack sitting on her bed that hadn't been there before. She lifted it up experimentally, surprised to find it seemed almost weightless in her hand.

Opening it up, she found a small bag of toiletries, a first-aid kit, several blankets, a few changes of clothes, her journal and pen, another bag of canned food, water, and eating supplies, and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, a cell phone. She pulled the the smartphone out, the screen lighting up at the movement. It didn't appear to be locked, and apparently had full signal and battery, even though they were in space.

"Did the Doctor sonic this?" she muttered, checking the contact list, only to find it empty. "Weird. I'll have to ask him about this later. I've been here for over a year already. If he thinks I need one, how come I'm only just now getting one?"

She stuffed it back in the knapsack, slinging the bag over her arm and setting out to find the Doctor, resolving to change her clothes later.

"Hey, Doctor?" she called as she approached the console room. "Did you put this bag on my bed? It wasn't there this morning, but -" She stopped, blinking oddly when the hallway seemed to shift around her. "What?" she muttered, putting a hand to the wall to steady herself, only to stop when her hand turned bright gold. "Oh."

"Sorry, what'd you say, Lyssa? I couldn't hear, the TARDIS was complaining about - oh." The Doctor rounded the corner into the hallway, wiping his hands with a greasy rag, stopping when he saw her. "You're leaving."

"Apparently. Did you leave me this bag?" she asked, lifting the bag, which was glowing gold with her.

The Doctor shook his head, glancing at it with a frown before returning his focus to her. "Must've been the TARDIS. You must be going somewhere where you'll need it, which means you probably won't have access to the TARDIS, if she won't be around to supply it."

"Oh, boy." Her legs were glowing now. "Wish me luck," she sighed.

"Good luck," he said halfheartedly. "Be careful."

And then he was gone, the TARDIS vanishing in a shower of gold before everything turned black.

She felt solid ground beneath her feet and crouched down to feel it to make sure. It felt like cold concrete, and she frowned, glancing around. She was apparently in a room, as there was a window in the far wall, letting in a faint amount of light and revealing a starry night sky outside.

She swallowed hard, something telling her not to make any noise as she explored her surroundings. Reaching into her bag, she felt around for the cell phone and pulled it out, hoping it had a flashlight function. It did, and she quickly tapped to turn it on, extremely grateful to have a source of light.

She turned it to the ceiling first, revealing old-fashioned lamps, then swung it around the room, revealing a series of counters covered in outdated medical supplies, and then several rows of beds, each containing a sleeping occupant.

She quickly swung the light away from them, not wanting to wake them up, and then froze, her brain catching up with her hand.

Her heart in her throat, she turned it slowly back to the nearest bed. The light shook in her hand as it revealed first a standard hospital bed, and then its occupant - right hand bearing a bloody y-shaped scar, and face completely covered by a 1940's gas mask. A look around the room revealed that each bed was filled with someone with the same scar and gas mask.

Her free hand came up to cover her mouth as she tried not to scream. Careful not to make any noise, she turned to leave -

And her phone began to ring.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed our first introduction to Vina! She was created by the lovely Wattpad user AllOfTimeNSpace, who wrote a large part of the meeting between our two OCs, and then let me rewrite it for Lyssa's POV. She'll be showing up again soon. :D**

 **Anyways, I am hoping to update next week and get back to updating weekly, but we'll have to see. D:**

 **Thanks for your tremendous support, I am truly grateful, and you guys are amazing!** **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to all my reviewers!**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Vina, as stated above, nor do I own Doctor Who. Just Lyssa.**


	78. Chapter 78 - Faceless Friends

Panicking, Lyssa stabbed her finger at the end call button as ' _Spooky Scary Skeletons_ ' filled the room. Silence abruptly fell as the figures in the bed sat up, turning to face her. Pure black filled the space where their eyes should have been behind the goggles, and they remained completely still as they stared at her for a long, terror-filled moment where she didn't even dare to breathe before, as silently as they had risen, they laid back down to rest.

A breath she didn't even know she had drawn escaped her, and she almost collapsed with relief, only refraining by sheer force of will. Clutching the phone tightly, the light wavering on the ground as her hand trembled, she turned to leave, praying the phone wouldn't ring again.

She was just reaching her hand to the door when the screen lit up again, and she almost dropped the phone in her haste to end the call again before it could start to fully ring, vowing to throw the device out a window the next chance she got. She glanced behind her, breathing a sigh of relief when it seemed that she'd managed to stop the call before it disturbed the sleepers again.

Not wanting to risk it happening a third time, she turned the volume off and tried to open the door again, mentally rejoicing when it opened without a creak. Slipping out into the hallway, faintly lit by a single dusty light several yards down, she shut the door noiselessly behind her and glanced around cautiously for any signs of life - or non-life, as the case may be.

But the hallway was empty, and she crept down it, unwilling to alert anyone to her presence until she was sure they were friendly - or at the very least, not hostile and/or infectious. She'd obviously ended up in the Empty Child episode, but she didn't know when she'd arrived. There were already multiple victims of the child, so clearly it was sometime after the Chula warship had fallen, but there had been almost a month between that and the Doctor showing up.

She really hoped she wouldn't have to wait that long.

In the meantime, he clearly wasn't there yet, and she didn't know how long she'd have to wait, so she'd better find a place to bunker down that was out of sight - and out of reach. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack had hid in a storeroom last time - maybe she could find that, or something similar? She would need to get out of this hospital before she became infected, but she needed to come up with a plan and not rush into things, otherwise she risked becoming one of them.

The hospital was lifeless as she wandered through the hallways, and she prayed that that was because it was almost time for the Doctor to show up, and not because the infected filled every room. She passed several doors that marked the entrances to more wards, and she hastened her speed as she passed them, not even wanting to find out how many beds were filled inside.

She rubbed her arms, shivering in the cool air - she was pretty sure it was currently winter, and she didn't have a coat. Unless the TARDIS had packed her one?

She'd really rather have a bright red 'EXIT' sign over the next doorway if she were being honest - or the vortex manipulator River had given her, although it had disappeared after the Eleventh Doctor had reset the universe; and while she was sure the TARDIS knew where it was, she currently didn't have access to it.

Unfortunately for her.

She had just walked past another doorway, her mind still on the vortex manipulator, when she heard a floorboard creak.

"Good heavens, child, what are you doing in a place like this?"

Stifling a shriek, she swung around, the light from her phone illuminating a nearly bald old man in a doctor's white coat standing in the doorway she'd just passed - she hadn't realized it had been open, she'd been so distracted.

"What on earth are you doing here?" he demanded again, limping towards her with a cane in hand. "Don't you know this is no place for the healthy? How did you get past the guards?"

Still wide-eyed with fright, she glanced down at his right hand - it was free from blemish, although that didn't mean much when the infection was airborne. "Who - who are you?" she asked weakly, lowering her phone so that it didn't shine in his eyes.

He raised his eyebrows. "I could ask you the same question," he remarked. "But I am Dr. Constantine. I am in charge of this hospital until such time as I am relieved, whether by man or by God." He suddenly looked much more haggard, his face growing drawn in the dim lighting.

She swallowed hard. "I - I'm Lyssa Devons," she said timidly. "And... I don't - I don't know how I got here. I opened my eyes, and I was suddenly standing in a room full of people with gas masks. They scared me, and so I ran," she admitted truthfully. "I was trying to find a way out when you found me."

The doctor frowned, drawing closer and studying her intently, though not without a kind look in his eyes that comforted her ever so slightly. "Your clothes are not from around here," he said to himself, furrowing his brow. "Your fear is genuine. And that mark on your face can only have been made deliberately." He drew in a sharp breath, seeming to come to an unhappy conclusion. "Torchwood," he muttered angrily. "Trying their wicked experiments again, I see. It's a wonder that England is still standing, with Torchwood within and Hitler without."

"Did - did you just say Torchwood?" Lyssa gasped, feeling more afraid now than she had in the ward, unable to stop herself from taking a step back at the name.

He gave her a scrutinizing look. "You know the name, I see. Are you perchance trying to hide from their notice?"

She hesitated, not sure how much she could trust the old man. "Well, I wouldn't exactly mind if they _didn't_ know I was here," she admitted slowly, rubbing her arm in discomfort.

He nodded in understanding. "I can't blame you for that, my dear. I met a doctor from there once - although if that charlatan ever took the Hippocratic Oath, then may Hitler strike me down. They claim to serve England, but I don't believe that they serve its people in the slightest - or its allies; as that is an American accent, I believe?"

She nodded silently, confused as to where he was going with this and extremely unhappy. Now she was going to have to watch out for Torchwood on top of everything else?

He thumped his cane on the ground once as if for emphasis. "Well, that's it, then. We'll just have to get you out of here without them noticing. You say you don't know how you got here?"

She shrugged unhappily. "However I got in here, I can't go back."

"No. But you can, perhaps, get out," he smiled, tapping the side of his nose. When she frowned at him in confusion, he sobered but kept his genial attitude as he explained. "It may take some time, and a bit of effort, but I shall do my best to get you out of this hospital alive and well, my dear."

"You - you will?" she blinked, taken aback. "But why? You don't know me."

"That is correct," he nodded slowly. "But I do know Torchwood - or I know of it, perhaps, might be more accurate. And I know someone in need when I see them." He sighed heavily. "I am still a doctor, if nothing else, and I cannot stand by and watch someone in need and refuse to help."

"Well, thank you," she said genuinely, trying to smile at him. "Really."

He waved a hand in the air. "I swore to help those in need long ago, and I intend to keep that promise as long as I can." He scrutinized her carefully. "Now, if we are to hide you from Torchwood's eye, then you must blend in. Americans may dress differently there, but here, you will stand out in that clothing." He turned, setting off down the hallway in the direction she'd just come from. "Come. I believe there are several extra nurses' outfits in one of the break rooms. Doubtless there is one there which will fit you."

"But I don't know anything about being a nurse," she whispered in protest, hurrying to keep up with her strange benefactor. "I won't be able to help anyone."

"That's all right, my dear," he said with a grim sort of humor. "None of my patients are the type to protest. Not anymore."

She swallowed hard. "You're talking about the..."

"The patients wearing gas-masks, yes," he confirmed gravely. "You can not touch them, or you will become like them. They feel no pain, nor do they show signs of remaining among the living. But... they exist, as do I, and so I do what I can to keep them comfortable, though there is little else I can offer them."

She looked up at him, noticing the way his tone had saddened as he spoke about the infected. "You're very kind," she said softly. "And I think you make an excellent Doctor." She smiled faintly, remembering her own Doctor. "Other doctors would be proud to know you."

He remained silent for a long moment after that, thanking her quietly before directing her further through the hospital. At last he stopped outside a closed door, pulling a key out of his pocket and unlocking it. Inside was some sort of locker-room, with several 1940's type nurses' dresses hanging on hooks, several empty beds along the far wall, and a few chairs next to the other.

Dr. Constantine gestured to the dresses. "You may wear any of those as may fit you. The guards seldom come inside the hospital aside from bringing in more patients, but should any disturb you, tell them you were studying here under my care when the outbreak started, and now remain as my last healthy aide. They should let you pass, and, perhaps the next time they bring in a patient, you may rejoin the outside world posing as a nurse and escape."

Lyssa smiled wearily up at him. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me. Really. I have a friend coming soon, who'll be able to help me get home, but I don't know when he'll be arriving, other than that it's somewhere within the next month. At least now I have a place to stay."

He nodded slowly. "For your sake, I hope he comes soon. It is late, now, so I shall leave you be to rest. I will return in the morning." He turned to leave, then paused. "Miss Devons," he said slowly. "I think it might be for the best that you lock your door when I leave. Do not open the door to any except I, no matter whose voice you hear on the other side. It is likely not what it seems."

Lyssa nodded soberly, knowing he was speaking of the child. "I won't."

"Good. I wish you a good night's rest, Miss Devons."

"Same to you," she said softly, shutting the door behind him with a click and immediately twisting the lock on the handle, locking it. Then, considering the small piece of metal that held the door shut, she grabbed one of the nearby chairs and shoved it under the doorknob, hoping it would at least delay anyone attempting to get in, and possibly allow her time to escape through another exit - although it looked like her only hope would be jumping out the window and praying she survived the fall.

Suddenly exhausted, she moved to one of the beds and sat down, tugging her knapsack off and letting it fall beside her. Then, noticing her phone flashlight was still on, she clicked on the phone to shut it off, flinching at the number of missed call notifications that immediately popped up. Quickly shutting off the flashlight, she tapped on the bar, pulling up her call log.

In the last twenty or so minutes since she'd jumped here, she'd been called twelve times by the same number. The mysterious caller never left a voicemail.

Although that could be because she hadn't set it up yet.

And speaking of - her screen lit up again. Whoever this was, they were trying again.

She stared at the ringing phone icon, her fingers hesitating over the answer call button. There was a very good chance that this was the child, she knew that. He could call anything with a grille, including phones from the future. However, Nancy was nowhere near, so it probably wasn't him.

Probably.

Whoever it was was just going to keep trying to reach her, she reasoned, her finger getting closer to the screen. And it wasn't like the child couldn't reach her anyways if he really wanted to...

She tapped the green phone button before she could talk herself out of it, holding the phone up to her ear. She licked her lips nervously. "H-hello?" she asked quietly.

" _Ah, yes, hello, Stacy! I've been trying to reach you for half an hour now! Where've you been?_ "

The speaker was male, British, cultured, and absolutely an adult.

Sagging in relief, she had to try twice to get her voice to work. "Ah, sorry, Sir, but I'm afraid you have the wrong number. There's no Stacy here."

" _What? The wrong number? I could have sworn this is what I was supposed to use... Ah, well. Sorry about that. Must have hit the wrong button._ "

She smiled. "No worries. I hope you reach her!"

He huffed a pleasant-sounding laugh. " _I hope so, too. Have a good day, Miss._ "

"You too," she returned, hanging up the phone before shaking her head. All that drama - over a wrong number. She hoped he found Stacy, or whoever he was looking for. It must've been urgent, if he was calling her that many times.

And then her screen lit up again. With the same number.

Furrowing her brow, she read the numbers again to double-check, only to find that it was, in fact, the same number. Did he misdial again? Or maybe he'd... forgotten something?

Shaking her head at herself, she answered the phone again, faintly amused. "Hello?"

She heard him take a deep breath and let it out slowly. " _This isn't Stacy._ "

"'Fraid not, no," she grinned.

There was a pause. " _Well. It seems I must apologize again. I double-checked all the information before putting it in this time, I promise. I'm not sure how this happened._ "

"Are you sure she gave you the right number?" Lyssa asked hesitantly, wondering if this was a case of some girl giving the wrong number on purpose to somebody hitting on her. _That_ would be awkward to explain...

" _Considering I've called her this way before, I'm fairly certain it's hers, yes. I just don't know why it suddenly stopped working!_ "

"Maybe she changed her number recently?" she offered. "Did you put in the right area code?"

" _It's supposed to automatically route directly to her,_ " he grumbled. " _Why are you suddenly not working? Are you cross with me? Is that it?_ " he accused, presumably not talking to her.

She snorted. "Did you just... yell at your phone?"

There was a telling pause. "No. Don't be ridiculous. What good would that do?"

She grinned. "Did it help?"

" _No,_ " he grumbled. " _All right, I'm going to try this one more time. Please don't take this the wrong way when I say that I hope you don't pick up next time._ "

"Not at all," she said easily. "Whatever you need your Stacy for, it sounds urgent. I hope you find her."

" _I hope so too,_ " he said soberly, saying farewell before hanging up.

She waited, staring at her phone in anticipation. Then, inspiration striking, she pulled up her phone settings and went into information. Finding the number for her phone, she memorized it, just as her phone began to ring again.

"I've got some bad news for you," she said dryly as she answered.

He sighed heavily. " _I just don't understand it! I've double-checked everything, it should be working!_ "

"Well, what number are you trying to reach?" she asked. "'Cause I just got my phone, it's brand new, so maybe I got your friend's by mistake?"

" _It just shouldn't be..._ " he sighed again, tapping at something on his end, most likely a computer. " _What's your number?_ "

She rattled off her number.

" _This isn't possible; how is this happening?_ " he complained in confusion. " _I'm not - I'm not even dialing those numbers! How do I keep reaching you?_ "

She tried to hide her yawn, unsuccessfully. "Sorry. It's been a long day. Um... I don't know. I was never that technologically gifted. Maybe there's a glitch in the phone lines, or something?"

" _Considering it's broad daylight here, and the American accent, I'm assuming I'm calling another time zone? I'm not keeping you awake, am I?_ " he asked in concern.

"No, no, you're fine," she hastened to assure him. "I'm currently in England, actually, but I'm fairly certain you're still calling a different time zone." You know, considering she was currently in 1941 with a souped-up smartphone and all that.

He grunted. " _That's a bit ironic. I'm currently not in England. Well, I'll let you get some sleep. Hopefully I'll be able to get this whole mess figured out._ "

"Good luck!" she offered, glancing over at the door and fighting off another yawn. "I hope -" She cut herself off, her blood running cold as she heard a floorboard creak outside her room, suddenly remembering where she was and why she was there.

" _Are you all right? You cut off a bit sudden there - I didn't hang up on you, did I? No, I didn't, good. Are you still there?_ "

Lyssa didn't respond - she couldn't, could barely manage to draw in a sharp breath as the footsteps grew closer to her room, stopping just outside.

" _Miss, are you all right? You sound alarmed._ " He was growing worried now, but she couldn't allay his fears - she couldn't allay her own.

"I - I have to go," she whispered, ending the call abruptly and cutting off his protests. She huddled in the middle of the bed, trying not to move as she waited - and prayed - for the footsteps to move on. Her phone lit up again, but she ignored it, focused on the door.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the footsteps moved on, passing the door and eventually fading away into silence. She sagged into the bed, almost ready to cry with relief. Finally getting up the nerve to move, she hurried to the hooks and snagged one of the nurse uniforms that looked to be close to her size off the hook.

Pulling it over her head, she tugged the blue dress over her clothes, tying the white apron with the red cross symbol over it. Smoothing it down with her hands, she supposed that she didn't look entirely accurate - her black boots were a bit too modern, and she had no way of doing the curls that were consider 'in' right now, but it would have to do.

Tugging it off and folding it, she set it on the bed next to the pillow before pulling the blankets she'd seen out of the knapsack and setting up a small space for her to sleep in. Collapsing onto the bed, she pulled the blankets up to her chin and curled up into a ball, too tired to even dream as she fell asleep.

xXx

Despite her exhaustion, she was up and dressed by the time Dr. Constantine knocked on her door, her hair tied up in a bun. The mysterious caller had called her one last time before apparently giving up for the night and sending her a text, apologizing if he crossed any boundaries but wanting to know if she was all right. She'd told him she was fine and left it at that, but thanked him for his concern.

She spent the day shadowing Dr. Constantine as he showed her the layout of the hospital. There were four floors, and multiple wards on each floor, each ward holding around dozens of people all bearing the same distinctive gas masks fused to their skin. The hospital was almost full, and more victims were being brought each few days.

Dr. Constantine was the only remaining person in the entire hospital who hadn't been infected. Everyone else had slowly succumbed to the supposed disease over the past week since the bomb had fallen and hit the original victim. The military had quickly set up camp around the bomb site and hospital, quarantining the site in a fruitless attempt to contain the virus.

He couldn't do much for the victims, but he made sure that each of them had a soft bed, and tried to keep the wards warm.

"They can't communicate with us, and we can't communicate with them, but there is a chance that they are still in there somewhere," he told Lyssa solemnly as he led her through one of the wards. "And if they are, perhaps I can make their lives a little easier."

Other than that, there was not much to do, and she spent the next few days updating her journal and refreshing her memories of the episode. The monotony was broken up a little bit by the stranger's continual attempts to reach the elusive Stacy, though for some reason his calls were always diverted to her.

He'd fixed whatever he needed Stacy for eventually, so it was no longer urgent he contact her, though he still grumbled whenever he tried - and failed - to reach her and got Lyssa instead. In the end, he'd given up, declaring that no matter what route he tried to use, it always ended up getting diverted back to her. For some reason, though, he seemed as reluctant as she was to stop talking for good.

Maybe he was lonely, like she was.

Either way, she didn't complain when their conversation switched from the phone mix-up to more casual subjects, enjoying the break from reality for a simple talk, where she didn't have to pretend.

They weren't quite friends, not yet, at least, but on their way there, if she was reading things correctly. He had a good sense of humor, and wasn't above making himself the point of a joke, but could be serious when the situation called for it - which was really only when she thought one of the patients was moving and tried not to freak out on him.

" _You know, I'm going to need a name to call you at some point,_ " he commented on the third day. " _I can't just keep calling you 'wrong number girl' in my head forever._ "

"Really? I'm have quite an easy time remembering to call you 'strange man who can't use a phone' whenever your number pops up," Lyssa teased him, plopping into a nearby swivel chair and spinning around.

" _You know, that's really rude coming from a girl who apparently can't even change her ringtone,_ " he retorted easily.

Lyssa flushed. "I told you I've been busy, okay?" she whined. "I can change it, I just haven't had time!"

" _Sounds exactly like what a tech-illiterate person would say,_ " he hummed, unconvinced. " _So how many times have I scared you when I called, now?_ "

"Three," she grumbled reluctantly, pouting when he laughed. "Shut up, it's not the ringtone! I'm currently working in a place where quiet is necessary, and any sudden noise startles me!"

" _Then why don't you turn the volume down?_ "

She hesitated, not wanting to admit the true response - that she was so lonely and scared that she was desperate for anything that offered her a chance to escape, however briefly.

He laughed again, evidently having heard her hesitation, if not the reason for it. " _Do you not know how to do that, either?_ "

"I can press a button, thanks. Like the end call one, for example," she pointed out snarkily.

" _Here, hold on a second,_ " he muttered. There was a few tapping sounds, and then a text notification sounded on her phone.

Curious, she pulled it away from her phone to glance at it, only to find that he'd sent her a screenshot of the WikiHow explanation of changing a phone ringtone. She sighed, putting it back to her ear.

"I hate you," she deadpanned, before glancing at the door when she heard a thumping noise, standing up to go investigate it. "I have to go. That might be my boss."

If it was Dr. Constantine, she couldn't let him see future tech. And if it was the child, well... she didn't want to think about that.

" _Wait, before you go... you never answered my question,_ " he interrupted. " _What should I call you?_ "

"Alone and afraid?" she muttered sarcastically, jumping with a small shriek when she accidentally tripped over a metal trashcan and smacked the back of her hand on the edge of a nearby counter as she tried to keep her balance, scaring herself. "Sorry. I'm fine."

" _You know, that's a bit long, if apparently accurate. I'm just going to call you Al. No, wait - Alexis,_ " he decided.

She huffed a laugh. "Well, that's better than Al, I suppose. For you... I'm going to call you James."

" _James? Why James?_ " His voice was puzzled.

She grinned. "Well, following your example, shortening 'Just A Very Strange Man' results in Ja, which sounds weird, so... James!"

There was a long pause. " _You know, I've been called a lot worse, so I'm not going to argue with that._ "

"I thought not," she grinned, lowering her voice when the thumping sounded again, closer this time. "Bye, James."

He sighed. "That sounds so strange. Goodbye, Alexis."

She smiled, hanging up and slipping the phone into a pocket just as Dr. Constantine entered the room, the solid thump of his cane hitting the floor preceding his arrival. "You look quite cheery today, Miss Devons," he complimented her with a smile of his own. "Good news?"

She shrugged. "Not exactly," she said softly. "But I think I might have made a friend onli-" she hesitated, recalling the era. "A friend who I can exchange letters with," she amended. "We've never met, but we made up names for the other, and I hope things will go well." She shrugged again. "What about you? You seem to be happy."

He smiled again, easing himself into a nearby chair. "I am, because I have good news. I believe there will be another drop-off of patients later today. If we are careful, I believe you can use this opportunity to escape."

"Really? How?" she asked eagerly, sitting down in a chair next to him.

"They have several nurses each time who accompany the patients, to check on things here and make sure that I am doing all right and have no lack of supplies. Your outfit matches theirs. You may be able to slip in beside them and assume a role as one of them, and follow them out. From there, you may simply walk out the gate once you are in the camp, although what you are to do from there I cannot help with."

"No, no, this is more than enough, I can't thank you enough," Lyssa told him enthusiastically.

He smiled wearily. "I only ask that, should we all survive this, you send me a letter, perhaps, at the end of it all to let me know that at least one person I care about has survived this war."

Lyssa sobered, laying her hand atop his. "I will try to come and see you in person, if you do your best to survive this war as well," she told him earnestly. "The world needs more doctors like you."

He shook his head. "No," he said softly, patting her hand gently. "The world has more than enough people forged from heartbreak. What we need now is people like you - people who come and soothe the hurt for people like me. Even doctors need to be healed, you know."

xXx

Lyssa fidgeted nervously as she waited for the soldiers to arrive with the supplies and other victims. Shortly before they were due to arrive, she'd changed into her nurse uniform and pinned her hair up once more until it was as professional as she could make it with no mirror. She was able to fold up her knapsack surprisingly small - no doubt thanks to the TARDIS - and stuff it in her pocket, making sure she had everything she'd brought with her.

"Thank you again for doing this," she said, turning to Dr. Constantine and impulsively hugging him. He seemed surprised for a minute before returning the embrace.

"I could do nothing else," he told her simply as she released him. "Now come. Let us wait in Ward 2. I believe there are still some empty beds in there."

She nodded, following him to the large ward and stepping into the corner to hide in the shadows by one of the cabinets like he'd suggested earlier. She was helped by the poor lighting in the room, the flickering from the bare bulbs up above drawing attention to them and away from the corners.

Dr. Constantine had just sat down at his desk, bending over a sheaf of papers when she heard a door slam open in the distance and a voice calling his name. The good doctor stood up again wearily, calling out his location. A moment later soldiers came pouring into the room, every two carrying a stretcher with a sleeping gas mask victim on it. Five nurses followed after them, carrying bags of supplies which they set down on the counter, careful not to touch any of the patients.

Dr. Constantine directed the soldiers to the empty beds, where they carefully set the stretchers down on the floor next to them, backing up. Careful not to get too close himself, the doctor instructed the patients to lay down in their beds in a gentle voice.

Much to Lyssa's amazement - and perturbation - the infected did as he asked, standing up and moving to their beds before laying down and becoming absolutely still again.

"Do you need anything?" one of the nurses asked him as the soldiers gathered up the stretchers and began to file out. "Food, bandages, anything?"

Two of the other nurses began to leave, and Lyssa took advantage of the opportunity to slip out behind them, nodding her head in recognition of the doctor as she left. He made no sign that he had seen it, but a little smile was on his face as she left the room, for hopefully the last time.

She shivered as she stepped out into the cool winter air, rubbing the back of her right hand. It had been irritated ever since she smacked it earlier that day, and she was pretty sure she had bruised it. She was out of that building, though, so she didn't even bother to count it as a minor annoyance.

Everything seemed to be going well, but she turned to look back as she exited the hospital with the others. Though it was broad daylight, there was something about the building that frightened her. Then she passed the dead tree in the courtyard, and realized that it wasn't the building.

Everything on the hospital property was lifeless.

And something told her that she'd be returning to that building soon, one way or another.

* * *

 **A/N: I'd just like to take the time right now to point out that James is completely fine and unsuspicious and definitely will not be a problem character at all. Nope! Nuh-uh! I expect you all to completely trust him like you would me. :)**

 **Feel free to guess as to who he is... I want to see how close you guys get. (If too many of you get too close, I obviously need to make things more mysterious)**

 **Also, yes. This chapter might not seem like much (because it isn't) but it's actually really important plot-wise, so... it's one of those annoying filler chapters that has to happen. Sorry guys ~**

 **BUT if it's any consolation, our favorite Captain Jack Harkness will be showing up soon! I am accepting any and all bets as to how he, Lyssa, and the Doctor are going to mix! ;D**

 **New chapter should be up next week. :)**

 **Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to all my reviewers! Your support has been amazing!**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa and all my other original characters...**


	79. Chapter 79 - A Deal With a Conman

Lyssa struggled to keep her face calm as she left the hospital property and entered the army camp outside with the other nurses behind the soldiers. The nurses quickly scattered to various parts of the camp, one pairing up with a soldier and slipping off into one of the tents.

Trying to assume an air of confidence and purpose, Lyssa held her head high and strode towards the gates, various excuses she could use if questioned flying through her head. She was almost there when she spotted one of the guards glance at her, then furrow his brow. Her heart sunk, but she kept going, silently praying he wouldn't stop her.

"You there, where do you think you're going?" he demanded angrily. "Everyone's supposed to report for medical to be checked for signs of infection after visiting the hospital!"

She hadn't even considered that they might quarantine those who visited the hospital. She opened her mouth, stuttering as she tried to come up with an excuse that wouldn't fall apart right away. A heavy arm fell around her shoulders, tugging her close into the side of a warm body.

She froze, glancing up in terror and shock at the face of her - attacker? Friend? Absolute stranger?

Apparently none of them, as Jack Harkness glanced down at her with a wink and a smile before turning back to the sergeant, still keeping her tucked into him as she was too frozen to resist. "Ah, sorry about that," he chuckled sheepishly in an American accent that sounded almost strange now after so long surrounded by English accents, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "She wasn't actually with the others in the hospital. She didn't come into contact with anything in there."

"And how would you know this, Sir?" the sergeant asked hesitantly, a lot more respectful once he saw the rank bars on Jack's shoulders. "Begging your pardon, Sir, but I saw her coming out with the others."

Jack made a show of glancing about for listening ears before leaning in as if to impart a great secret, the guard doing likewise. "Well, you caught me. Or, us, I should say." He heaved a sigh, hanging his head slightly. "We were in the hospital. But not with the others." He rubbed the back of his neck again, shuffling his feet slightly.

"I mean, nothing too scandalous, of course," he hastened to assure the wide-eyed man. "But there is a certain thrill to making out in public -" He cleared his throat. "Anyways, rest assured, my good man." He clapped the soldier on the shoulder. "She is fine," he said with emphasis, glancing down at her with an approving look.

Her cheeks flared. Was he - _flirting_ with her?

The poor sergeant cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well. Be that as it may, it's still protocol for everyone who comes out of that hospital to be checked out by medical. I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist, Sir."

"Oh, don't worry. I've checked her out," Jack assured him. "But if you insist, I'll check her out again." He winked at him. "I'm very good at checking people out, as a matter of fact. I might as well have a degree."

Lyssa bit her tongue to keep from responding, torn between punching the conman or digging a hole in the dirt and burying her head in it, as if that would help.

"Well..." The man looked uncertain.

"I actually do have a medical degree, I just don't like to brag," Jack told him in a whisper, pulling a small leather wallet out of his pocket and flipping it open to reveal a slip of paper, holding it up to the sergeant, who looked appropriately surprised. "I do know what I'm doing. But I actually had an important message I needed to deliver to her, which is why I pulled her aside. Top secret, you understand. Don't tell anyone."

Looking much more confident now that they were discussing matters he felt comfortable with, the sergeant nodded. "Won't breathe a word of it, Sir," he assured him.

Jack smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. "I knew you wouldn't. I could tell, soon as I laid eyes on you - you're a good man. But now, if you'll excuse me, we both have an urgent matter to discuss. Very time sensitive."

"Of course, very sorry, Sir, Ma'am." The soldier tipped his head to her, stepping aside.

"Thank you, Sergeant. I'll be sure to mention your compliance to my superiors," Jack complimented him, slipping the paper back into his pocket and tugging Lyssa forward out of the gate, ignoring the man's attempts to thank him.

Still too stunned to do much more than follow him, Lyssa stumbled along at his side as they made their way through the streets of London, finally stopping in a deserted alleyway. Jack released her, taking a few steps away - much to her relief - and leaning against a nearby wall, crossing his arms casually as he looked at her.

He studied her with interest. "So."

"So?" she repeated numbly, blinking as everything started to hit home. Her face flushed with anger. "I can't believe you just did that!"

"What, got you out of there without a hitch?" he asked sarcastically, raising his eyebrows. "Don't bother saying thank you."

"Say thank you for what?" she hissed. "Grabbing me out of nowhere and scaring me half to death? Telling him we were out there kissing?" she exclaimed, practically seething with anger. "I don't even know you," she spat, crossing her arms over her midsection uncomfortably. "I recognize that you got me out of there, which is all well and good, but you couldn't have done so _without_ the incredibly unnecessary flirtations?"

"I've dealt with his type before," Jack informed her dryly, the corners of his eyes tightening. "If I'd just said I needed you for a top secret confidential message, the entire camp would have known all about it before the day was over - and I'm assuming you're going for subtle, not flashy."

She remained unhappily silent, unable to argue his point.

"Thought so. Moving on - however, that man is also extremely uncomfortable with any hints of 'young love'," he said, using his fingers to mark the words. "Hinting that there might have been more to our meeting besides talking means that he would die of embarrassment before even thinking of bringing it up."

Lyssa shifted uncomfortably, recognizing the truth - and the logic, however unfortunate - in his words. "I guess," she muttered, refusing to meet his eyes and rubbing her arms in an effort to warm herself up, and distract him from her embarrassment.

But alas, it was not to be. "Look. I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable," he said , sounding genuinely regretful. "If I could have, I'd have gotten you out of the gate without all that show. It was just luck of the draw that he was the one who happened to be there."

Which brought up another point. She licked her lips hesitantly, unsure if she wanted to bring it up, before reminding herself that Jack was, at heart, a good man. He might not be the hero he was destined to become yet, but the seeds of it were still in him. He wouldn't hurt her, not unless she gave him valid reason to. He'd still helped her, even if it was to get something out of it.

"Why - why did you help me?" she asked hesitantly. "And - how did you know I would need help? You don't know me."

"Do I need a reason to help a pretty face?" he asked with a wink before frowning when she shrank away from him uncomfortably. "Right. That's a no on the flirting. Sorry. The truth of the matter is, I could tell just by looking at you that you would need help getting out of the gate. You weren't one of them, you didn't know the protocol, and I needed to talk to you."

She frowned at him suspiciously. "Why?" He shouldn't know her yet.

He held up a hand. "That's a long story. Let's start with introductions. My name's Captain Jack Harkness. 133 Squadron Royal Airforce - American Volunteer." He pulled the leather wallet out of his pocket again, flipping it open and offering it to her.

She took it, unable to help her lips twisting in a wry smirk when, instead of the ID card he meant to present, she got what seemed like genuine remorse for making her uncomfortable as well as what seemed like a stray thought that her boots did not match with the time period.

Well, at least now she knew what gave her away.

She handed it back. "You can call me Lyssa," she told him, unwilling to give him her full name until she was sure she could trust him, even if she did hope he could help her.

"No last name? I gave you mine." he remarked, taking the psychic paper back and raising an eyebrow at it.

She raised her eyebrows, feigning innocence. "No offense, Captain, but you just dragged me into an alleyway where there's no one around. Forgive me if I'm a bit hesitant to tell you my life story," she told him dryly.

"And yet, I'm not what you're scared of, am I?" he asked, flipping the card around to show its contents to her.

 _Can you help me?_

She glanced away.

"I think maybe we should have a bit of a talk without the psychic paper. Don't you?" he asked, tucking it back in his pocket.

She reluctantly turned back to him and nodded hesitantly.

"Good. I know a place."

xXx

The place, as it turned out, happened to be Jack's spaceship. It'd taken a bit of tinkering - and a solemn oath that she could leave anytime she wished - but he'd managed to beam her up with him, and now they were seated, him in his chair and her on a nearby bed. He'd offered her a drink, but she'd refused, thanking him, so she sat silently while he poured a glass of wine for himself.

It was weird. They didn't exactly have the best start, but... Jack was a genuinely likable person, and he'd been sincere when he told her how to get out - even gave her an emergency teleport that beamed her back down to the ground, proving it worked before letting her keep it. Plus, now that he wasn't hitting on her, and making an effort to crack jokes and be overall friendly, she was a lot more comfortable around him.

"So," Jack said, crossing one knee over the other and leaning forward to look at her with interest. "Judging by the lack of surprise at my spaceship, I'm guessing you're not from around here?"

"Well, obviously," she quipped. "Would've thought you could tell I was from America."

He chuckled. "Not that I don't appreciate hearing a familiar accent, but that's not quite what I was asking."

"No, I suppose it wasn't," she admitted. "But then, judging by the fact that you _have_ a spaceship, I'm guessing you're not from around here either?"

"Got it in one," he grinned, swallowing the contents of his glass in one pull and getting up to pour himself another one. He settled back down in his chair, looking much more serious this time. "And now that we've got that out of the way, why don't you tell me why you think you might need my help?"

She twisted her fingers back and forth, wondering how much she could tell him. He thought Rose was a Time Agent - maybe she could play up that angle somehow? "Why don't you tell me why you helped me first? Surely it's not just because I'm a fellow time traveler." She raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked. "Caught on to me, eh? I'll admit, you being a time traveler is what caught my notice, but that's not the _only_ reason I helped you." He finished his second glass and set it off to the side.

"Oh? And what's that?" she asked innocently.

"Wouldn't you know, if you were at the crash site?" he asked her, narrowing his eyes. "Isn't that why you were there, to take a look at it?"

"I never saw it, if that's what you're asking," she said carefully. "I was inside the hospital the whole time I've been here until today, when you saw me."

He glanced at his watch before returning his scrutinizing gaze to her. "You're telling the truth," he said, sounding faintly surprised. "But that's not quite what I asked."

"It isn't, is it?" she hummed, returning his gaze and hoping she looked like she knew what she was doing. "But then, you didn't answer mine either." He huffed a laugh and she smiled. He really was an attractive man, she couldn't deny it. "I'll tell you what, Captain Harkness. I'll try my best to be as honest as I can with you, if you will do the same with me," she offered, holding out her hand.

Taken aback, he stared at her outstretched hand for a minute, brow wrinkled, before it smoothed over and he smiled, taking her hand and shaking it. "I accept your offer," he said pleasantly.

 _I'm sure you do_ , she thought wryly to herself, settling so she sat more comfortably. The deal had been worded so neither of them would have to be completely honest - something she didn't think either of them would end up being in the near future.

"Ladies first," Jack said smoothly, gesturing to her.

She snorted. "So gentlemanly. If you must know, I travel with several others." She glanced at him. "I'm sure by now you suspect that I'm a Time Agent?"

He nodded with a smirk. "I can see one of you lot easily," he assured her confidently.

Hiding a smile, she continued. "My senior partner goes by 'The Doctor'. He's very good at science and history, so he's the one to verify anything interesting that we come across. He's also the one in charge of navigation, so he's the one who came across that thing that landed here about a week ago." She sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, our ship's a bit tricky to deal with at times, and I became separated. I lost contact, and landed here ahead of them - he might not be here for another two to three weeks, as I believe he lost track of it while it was skipping timelines."

He studied her calculatingly. "So what you're saying is, nothing can be finalized until he gets here?"

She eyed him. "Why? You got something you want to offer?"

He grinned, revealing perfect white teeth. "It's 1941. The height of the London Blitz. The height of the German Bombing Campaign. And something else has fallen on London - a fully equipped Chula Warship. The last one in existence... and armed to the teeth."

She tilted her head at him. "Seems like a dangerous thing to leave lying around."

"Oh, it is," he assured her. "But I know where I parked it." He grimaced. "Unfortunately, and I didn't find this out until later, I made the mistake of parking it right where a German bomb is supposed to land in about three weeks. And the crash site's been swarmed by the army. If I could, I'd move it, but I don't have the capabilities to on my own." He studied her. "Do you think your partner will get here in time?"

She smiled, knowing he was lying through his teeth. "He has a knack for landing exactly where he needs to be, when he needs to be. He'll be here," she assured him. "I'm assuming you wish to sell it to us?"

He shrugged easily. "A man's got to live somehow. I find rare items and sell them to the best bidder. In this case - the Time Agency. If it names the right price, I can get it for you - but you only have three weeks. Are you sure you can get the money in that time?"

She smiled. "Trust me, Captain. It'll be better than your wildest dreams." She pretended to pause for thought. "In fact, if I tell my partner how you went out of your way to help me escape, he'll probably be grateful. Very grateful."

"Good." He settled back in his chair, pleased with the way things had turned out. "Now let's talk about why you thought you needed my help."

She flinched, immediately trying to assume a calm expression. "What are you talking about? I just told you - I got trapped in the hospital, and you helped me escape."

"Yeah, but I didn't show you the psychic paper until after we got out of the camp," he reminded her, eyes narrowed, studying her. "Which means you _need_ my help - present tense." His eyes dropped to her lower jaw, and he frowned. "Does it have anything to do with that colorful mark on your face?"

Her hand involuntarily flew to her jaw, and she winced, regretting the stupid motion when it still hurt. "No. Like I said, I landed unexpectedly. Things tend to go a bit sideways during those sorts of things," she muttered, not meeting his gaze.

He hummed, clearly not believing her. "If you say so. But just so you know..." He paused, weighing his next words. "I may be considered a scoundrel of the highest degree, but I do have _some_ morals. If you were looking for a place to hide, I could find a safe place for you."

She smiled. _There_ was the hero hiding inside. "Thank you," she told him genuinely. "But what did this is no longer a problem. And like I said, my partner will hopefully be here soon. _However_ ," she drew the word out slowly. "If you... could... set me up with a safe place to stay until he gets here, that would be much appreciated. And I would make sure he rewards you handsomely."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're speaking of a personal matter. How do I know your partner can afford this when he's not backed by the agency - or that he even would reward me?"

"He's... pretty protective of me," Lyssa said with a fond smile, rubbing her charm. "He's my best friend, and he has lots of connections. I think the two of you could work something out."

"Judging by the way you smile, I'd say you're more than friends," Jack observed with a smirk. "Did he give you that necklace?"

"What? No!" Lyssa sputtered, dropping the necklace. "I mean, yes - I mean, no!" She stopped, rubbing her temples with a sigh. "Yes, he gave me the necklace - well, sort of. A friend gave me the necklace, and then he gave me the charm to go on it. But no, we're not more than friends."

"Ah," Jack nodded in understanding, leaning forward to take a look at her necklace. "You just wish you were."

"Jack!" she cried in protest, hiding her flaming cheeks behind her hands.

He laughed. "I have a lot of experience with unresolved feelings. I know how to recognize it when I see it. And if a man's giving you jewelry..." He leaned forward to take a look at her charm, his brow furrowing. "Is that -" he started, speaking to himself, before shaking his head. "Nah."

His expression cleared, reverting to his former teasing state. "Anyways, if a man's giving you jewelry that nice, and he's not related to you - I'm assuming he isn't, judging by that blush - he feels great affection for you. That, or he's trying to get something from you, but that's a whole other story, and not one, I think, that applies."

Lyssa sighed, resigning herself to a life of embarrassment. "He's my best friend, I would hope he feels great affection for me. Other than that, there's nothing between us."

He grinned, sitting back in his chair and folding his hands together. "No, no, this is great. I will help you find a safe place to stay until your dashing hero shows up to rescue you, being sure to tell him of all the danger you were in in his absence. He'll be so horrified at what you went through that he'll sweep you into his arms, declaring his deep and eternal love for you. And he'll be so grateful to me that he'll give me whatever I wish for that's in his power. And voila! We part ways as unlikely friends."

He looked so pleased with himself she almost didn't know what to say, struggling not to laugh at his proud expression. "Take out the part where you tell my overprotective _friend_ ," she stressed the word, "about me being in danger, and you have yourself a deal."

"You can't stop the course of true love, Lyssa," he told her obstinately.

"And you can't make something out of nothing, Jack," she retorted in the same tone.

"Aha!" he shouted triumphantly. "No, you can't, _but_ \- you can't honestly tell me that there's nothing there, can you?" he challenged her. His lips curled up into a grin when she avoided his gaze. "Thought so."

Lyssa crossed her arms. "I'm not talking to you anymore," she said childishly, fighting back a laugh.

"You know, I think you used the wrong word earlier," Jack told her. She turned back to look at him curiously, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the mischief dancing in his eyes. "You said your partner was the 'senior' one in the relationship. I don't think that fits. I think a more accurate word would be 'mature'."

"I'm telling the Doctor to buy you a cave on a deserted island where you can go be a hermit in," Lyssa said flatly.

"If you do, then I'm going to tell him that you exposed yourself to an infectious plague or whatever was in that hospital," he retorted.

She narrowed her eyes at him. He returned the gaze, lifting his chin. A moment later they both broke down in laughter. And for the first time since she had landed in London, 1941, she relaxed.

xXx

A small child wandering the streets of London looked up at the sky near Big Ben. There was something up there. Something - or someone - important. But his vision was clouded by the black gas mask covering his face, and he turned away at last, only to perk his head up curiously when he sensed someone else nearby, and he turned around.

A young woman stood in front of him, staring down at him in concern. "Are you all right, little boy? You're a bit young to be out on your own."

"Are you my mummy?"

She frowned regretfully. "No, sorry. But maybe we can go find her?" She extended a hand towards him. "Let's go find your mummy."

He took the hand, his small hand almost swallowed by her own. Unnoticed by her, a small, y-shaped cut opened up on the back of her right hand as she turned to lead him further down the street. They made it a little further than a block before she slowed to a stop, holding her hand to her ribs.

"I think I need to rest a bit. Sorry, little one," she panted, coughing a little. "There's something in my throat. I just need to get rid of it, then we can go find your mummy." Her voice caught, causing her to cough harder. "We just need to - find my mummy. My - mum-my."

The child slid his hand free from hers as she fell to the ground, looking down at her uncomprehendingly before slowly turning away from the woman collapsed on the ground, her face replaced by a black gas mask.

The empty child turned around the corner of the street, pausing when he saw a woman seated on a bench, reading the newspaper. She looked up when he came near. "Is everything all right, sweetie?" she asked, folding her paper and setting it off to the side.

He tilted his head at her.

"Are you my mummy?"

* * *

 **A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter this week, but say hello to Captain Jack Harkness! I had such a hard time writing him for some reason, I apologize if he's really OOC - especially because at this point in time, he's not a hero yet (and this has been confirmed by the show's writers).**

 **BUT he does still have the makings of one, and so I have to write a character who's kind of deliberately in this sort of gray area. Hence him largely helping Lyssa out for the promise of money, but also not wanting her to come to harm, and even offering to help out with her non-existent love life. Anyways, hope I didn't butcher his character too badly. :P**

 **Anyways, we should _hopefully_ be getting to the actual episode next week, but I make no promises bc we all know what happens when I try to determine the date of something coming. :/**

 **You guys all seem to think James is a very suspicious character. I simply don't understand why. It's not like he has the potential to be someone very dangerous that Lyssa will be meeting soon like the Mas - oh wait, that's a spoiler. D: Moving on, he will be showing up again. ;D**

 **Special thank you to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to all my reviewers! Your support has been tremendous and I love getting all your comments and support!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :D**

 **General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa**


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